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WOMEN 

MARMADUKE 
PICKTHALL 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


VEILED    WOMEN 


VEILED  WOMEN 


BY 

MARMADUKE  PICKTHALL 


NEW  YORK 
DUFFIELD  AND  COMPANY 

1913 


Copyright  1913, 
BY  DUFFIELD  AND  COMPANY 


VEILED   WOMEN 


CHAPTER    I 

"If  good  the  news,  O  bird,  alight  and  welcome; 
If  bad,  draw  up  thy  claws  and  hie  away ! " 

AT  the  corner  of  a  lofty  housetop  overlooking  a 
great  part  of  Cairo,  a  woman  stood  with  arms 
uplifted  and  solemnly  addressed  a  crow  which 
seemed  about  to  settle.  The  bird,  as  if  the  mean- 
ing of  the  chant  had  reached  him,  turned  in  the  air 
with  clumsy  flapping,  and  withdrew,  rising  to  join 
the  hundreds  of  his  kind  which  circled  high  above 
the  city  bathed  in  early  sunlight.  The  woman 
shook  her  fist  at  his  receding  shape,  glass  bracelets 
tinkling  on  her  strong  brown  arm.  She  sighed, 
"  The  curse  of  God  on  thy  religion,  O  thou  faithless 
messenger !  "  then,  with  a  laugh,  turned  round  to 
join  the  group  of  slave-girls,  her  companions,  sent 
up  to  lay  out  herbs  to  dry  upon  the  roof.  These 
had  watched  her  invocation  of  the  crow  with  know- 
ing grins.  But  one,  a  young  Circassian,  who  sat 
watching  while  the  others  worked,  betrayed  surprise 
and  asked  the  meaning  of  the  little  ceremony. 
At  that  there  was  much  giggling. 
1 

1308965 


2  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  Knowest  thou  not,  O  flower?  It  is  the  woman's 
secret ! " 

"  Secret  of  secrets,  all  unknown  of  men !  " 

"  By  Allah,  men  know  nothing  of  it.  In  sh' Allah, 
they  will  be  astonished  some  day ! " 

"  O  Hind,  relate  the  story !  Our  honey,  our  ga- 
zelle, Gulbeyzah,  has  not  heard  it." 

Thus  urged,  the  one  who  had  adjured  the  crow,  a 
free  servant  of  the  house,  obsequious  towards  the 
slaves,  its  pampered  children,  explained  as  she  knelt 
down  again  to  work : 

"  In  the  name  of  Allah,  thus  it  is  related :  Know, 
O  my  sweet,  that,  in  the  days  of  our  lord  Noah 
(may  God  bless  him),  after  the  flood,  the  men  and 
women  were  in  equal  numbers  and  on  equal  terms. 
What  then?  Why,  naturally  they  began  disput- 
ing which  should  have  the  right  to  choose  in 
marriage,  and,  as  the  race  increased,  enjoy  more 
mates  than  one.  The  men  gave  judgment  on  their 
own  behalf,  as  usual;  and  when  the  women  mads 
polite  objection,  turned  and  beat  them.  What 
was  to  be  done?  The  case  was  thus:  the  men 
were  stronger  than  the  women,  but  there  exists  One 
stronger  than  the  men  —  Allah  Most  High.  The 
women  sought  recourse  to  Allah's  judgment;  but  — 
O  calamity !  —  by  ill  advice  they  made  the  crow 
their  messenger.  The  crow  flew  off  towards 
Heaven,  carrying  their  dear  petition  in  his  claws, 
and  from  that  day  to  this  he  brings  no  answer. 
But  God  is  everliving  and  most  merciful;  a  thou- 


VEILED  WOMEN  3 

sand  years  with  him  seem  but  an  hour.  Perhaps 
he  does  but  hold  our  favour  over,  as  might  a  son 
of  Adam,  till  the  evening  for  reflection,  to  grant  it 
at  the  last.  In  sh' Allah !  " 

"  In  sh'Allah !  "  came  the  chorus  of  a  dozen  voices ; 
followed  by  a  general  laugh  when  Gulbeyzah,  the 
Circassian,  yawned  and  sighed,  "  Four  goodly  hus- 
bands all  my  own !  O  Lord,  give  quickly !  " 

"  That  is  the  reason,"  Hind  concluded,  "  why 
good  women  have  a  word  to  say  to  crows  who  seek 
to  settle.  Any  one  of  them  may  be  the  bearer  of 
the  blessed  edict.  The  reason  as  related  —  Allah 
knows ! " 

"  Good  news  and  hopeful,  by  my  maidenhood !  — 
the  best  I  ever  heard !  "  chuckled  Gulbeyzah,  repos- 
ing with  her  back  against  the  parapet.  She  then 
remained  a  long  while  silent,  lost  in  day-dreams. 

The  hour  was  after  sunrise  of  a  spring  morning 
in  the  twelve  hundred  and  eightieth  year  of  the 
Hegirah,  the  second  of  the  reign  of  Ismail.  The 
house  was  that  of  Muhammad  Pasha  Salih,  a 
Turk  by  origin  but  born  and  bred  in  Egypt,  who 
held  a  high  position  in  the  government.  The  girls, 
their  task  accomplished,  sat  down  on  their  heels, 
each  with  her  tray  of  basketwork  before  her,  and 
sniffed  the  breeze,  in  no  haste  to  return  indoors. 

"  Praise  to  Allah,"  one  exclaimed  with  fervour, 
"  we  escape  for  an  hour  from  that  Gehennum  there 
below.  Never  have  I  seen  the  lady  Fitnah  so  en- 
raged. Her  wrath  is  not  so  much  because  her  son 


4  VEILED  WOMEN 

desires  the  English  governess,  as  because  the  Pasha 
sees  no  hindrance  to  the  match.  I  tremble  every  time 
I  have  to  go  to  her,  lest  in  her  fury  she  should  dam- 
age my  desirability." 

"  Praise  be  to  Allah,  I  am  not  her  property,"  re- 
plied another,  "  but  that  of  her  durrah,  the  great 
lady.  Yet  I  know  her  for  a  good  and  pious  crea- 
ture, not  likely  to  be  so  enraged  without  rare  cause. 
They  say  this  foreign  teacher  has  bewitched  the 
young  man.  He  is  mad.  He  flung  himself  before 
her  in  the  passage  as  she  came  from  driving.  She 
spurned  him,  and  they  bore  him,  senseless,  to  his 
chamber,  where  for  two  days  he  weeps  and  moans, 
refusing  nourishment.  It  is  enchantment,  evidently, 
for  the  girl  is  ugly." 

"  Nay,  by  Allah,  she  is  white  and  nicely  rounded. 
But  shameless !  But  an  infidel !  " 

"  She  can  change  her  faith." 

"  As  easily  as  dung  can  change  its  odour !  " 

"  Gulbeyzah  here  is  whiter  and  more  appetizing." 

"  Well,  God  alone  knows  what  she  is  or  is  not. 
This  is  sure :  I  have  no  itching  to  go  down  into  the 
house  while  Fitnah  Khanum  rages." 

"Nor  I!"  "Nor  I!"  exclaimed  the  rest  with 
feeling. 

The  morning  clamour  of  the  city  came  up  to  them 
as  a  soothing  murmur.  Minarets  dreamed  round 
them  in  the  sun-haze  which  was  rosy  at  its  heart  but 
in  the  distance  pearly  with  a  tinge  of  brown.  On 


VEILED  WOMEN  5 

one  hand  open  country  might  be  seen,  green  fields  and 
palm  trees  crowding  to  the  desert  wave  on  which  three 
pyramids  stood  out,  minute  as  ciphers ;  on  the  other, 
ending  the  long  ridge  of  the  Mucattam  Hill,  arose  the 
Citadel  in  smoky  shadow,  its  Turkish  dome  and  min- 
arets, its  towers  and  ramparts,  appearing  like  a  city 
of  the  sky.  Here  and  there  among  the  housetops 
a  small  cloud  of  doves  went  up,  fluttered  a  moment 
and  subsided  peacefully.  Kites  hovered,  crows  were 
circling,  in  the  upper  air.  Gulbeyzah  watched  their 
evolutions  dreamily. 

"  Allah  defend  us  from  the  liberty  of  Prankish 
women !  "  she  remarked  at  length.  "  I  could  not  bear 
it.  To  meet  the  stare  of  all  men  were  too  dreadful. 
My  maidenhood  would  flush  my  brain  and  kill  me. 
O  pure  shame!  And  yet  they  choose  what  men  they 
like,  the  fact  is  known.  In  sh'Allah,  the  great  fa- 
vour, when  the  crow  does  bring  it,  will  not  destroy 
our  blessed  privacy." 

"  In  sh'Allah,  truly !  "  answered  Hind,  with  ve- 
hemence. "  Fear  nothing,  O  beloved ;  God  is  great- 
est !  Their  freedom  is  from  Satan,  their  liege  lord 
—  the  curse  of  Allah  on  him !  It  is  a  travesty  of 
God's  work,  like  all  he  does.  Is  it  not  known  when 
Allah  made  the  cow,  he  tried  his  best  to  do  the  same, 
but  got  no  farther  than  the  water-buffalo.  All 
Heaven  mocked  him.  Our  charter,  when  it  comes, 
will  be  perfection." 

"  Talking  of  foreign  women  makes  me  curious  to 


know  how  things  are  going,  down  below.  Has  the 
governess  consented  to  give  life  to  Yusuf?  Has  the 
Pasha  quieted  the  lady  Fitnah?  " 

"  Nothing  could  quiet  her,  unless  it  were  the  quick 
expulsion  of  the  Englishwoman.  Why  did  she  ever 
have  her  children  taught  the  lore  of  infidels?  The 
fault  is  hers!  She  hoped  to  keep  the  Bey  from  hon- 
ourable marriage,  chaining  his  fancy  with  some  slave- 
girl,  her  own  creature." 

"  With  me,  say  plainly !  "  laughed  Gulbe}7zah,  with 
a  yawn.  "  I  was  brought  into  the  house  with  that  in- 
tention. Yet  not  her  creature,  for  Murjanah  Khanum 
is  my  mistress,  and  she  would  have  seen  to  it  that  I 
was  well  respected.  If  the  governess  has  pity  on  him 
—  which  I  think  not  likely  —  as  soon  would  the  wild 
serpent  wed  the  dove  —  my  lady  must  provide  me 
with  a  proper  husband.  I  have  no  mind  to  wither  as 
a  fruit  untasted."  She  yawned  again.  "  Will  no 
one  go  into  the  house  and  bring  me  news  ?  " 

Up  leapt  a  little  Galla  girl,  a  child  as  yet  unveiled, 
all  eyes  and  teeth  with  glee  in  the  adventure. 

"  I  go,  O  lady !  I  am  not  afraid.  I  will  even 
enter  the  selamlik.  I  will  find  out  everything." 

"  Be  very  careful,  O  Fatumah,  lest  old  Fitnah  seize 
thee.  She  would  rip  up  thy  belly  and  pluck  out  thy 
entrails  did  she  catch  thee  spying !  " 

The  little  black  girl  laughed  and  made  an  impu- 
dent grimace. 

"  And  then  the  eunuchs !  They  will  surely  beat 
thee." 


VEILED  WOMEN  7 

"  By  Allah,  they  must  catch  me  first.  Sawwab 
adores  me,  and  the  others  are  too  slow." 

"  Good.     Run,  ere  curiosity  consume  me !  " 

The  little  negress  shot  off  like  an  arrow.  Down 
dark,  malodorous  stairs,  through  empty  corridors, 
she  glanced,  incarnate  mischief.  In  a  pleasure  court 
of  the  harim,  where  orange  trees  in  tubs  grew  round 
a  pool,  she  stopped  to  listen  for  the  voice  of  Fitnah. 
It  came  from  an  apartment  on  her  right.  Straight 
forward,  where  she  wished  to  go,  the  coast  seemed 
clear.  Springing  on  tiptoe,  she  plucked  a  spray  of 
blossom  from  the  nearest  tree;  then  ran  on  down  a 
passage  through  the  ornate  screen,  the  boundary  of 
the  women's  quarters,  where  a  eunuch  tried  in  fun  to 
stop  her ;  and  in  sight  of  a  great  hall  where  men  were 
lounging,  knocked  at  a  door. 

The  word  had  scarce  been  given  ere  she  glided  in 
and  held  out  the  sprig  of  orange-blossom  to  the  Eng- 
lish governess,  with  every  muscle  of  her  body  fawn- 
ing, smiling.  Without  a  look,  she  read  the  stranger's 
face,  perceived  she  had  been  crying  lately  but  now 
looked  exultant,  observed  the  order  of  the  room,  the 
foreign  furniture;  and  then,  before  the  English- 
woman could  find  words  to  thank  her  for  the  pretty 
offering,  kissed  a  white  hand  which  proved  as  hot  as 
fire,  and  darted  out  as  noiselessly  as  she  had  entered. 

As  she  was  flitting  back  across  the  garden-court, 
she  heard  a  male  voice  cry : 

"  Be  silent,  woman ;  or,  by  the  Prophet,  I  shall 
have  to  beat  thee !  " 


8  VEILED  WOMEN 

Crouching  behind  a  tub,  she  listened  eagerly. 
But  though  a  wrangle  was  in  progress  not  far  off 
between  the  Pasha  and  his  wife,  the  lady  Fitnah, 
she  could  glean  no  more  than  the  main  tenor  of  it 
from  the  voices,  of  which  the  man's  was  irritated  and 
the  woman's  mad. 

At  last  the  Pasha  shouted: 

"  It  is  finished.  No  word  more.  I  go  straight  to 
the  Consul.  Appeal  to  the  Cadi,  I  beseech  thee ;  of 
thy  kindness,  do  so!  He  will  tell  thee,  just  as  I  do, 
that  thou  art  demented." 

Another  minute  and  he  crossed  the  court,  wearing 
his  best  tarbush  and  his  official  garb  of  black  frock- 
coat  and  narrow  trousers  —  a  thing  unheard  of  at 
that  early  hour. 

Having  seen  him  pass  to  the  selamlik,  Fatumah 
ran  like  lightning  through  the  dim  old  house,  till, 
breathless,  she  emerged  in  dazzling  sunlight  and 
flopped  down  on  the  roof  again  beside  the  others. 

"Well,  what  news?"  they  clamoured. 

"  Great  news !  "  Fatumah  panted.  "  Only  listen ! 
The  English  governess  is  going  to  marry  Yusuf  Bey, 
and  she  has  islamed !  " 

"  Praise  to  Allah ! "  cried  the  others  in  amaze- 
ment. "  A  Frankish  woman  convert !  A  great 
miracle ! " 

"  The  Pasha  goes  this  minute  to  the  English  Con- 
sul, to  confer  with  him  and  make  arrangements  for 
the  ceremony." 


VEILED  WOMEN  9 

"  Allahu  akbar !  Is  it  possible  ?  But  what  says 
Fitnah?" 

"  What  can  she  say,  the  poor  one  ?  The  command 
is  on  her." 

"  But,  for  the  love  of  Allah,  say,  how  didst  thou 
learn  all  this?  " 

Fatumah  shut  her  lips  tight,  looking  preternatur- 
ally  cunning. 

"  Ha,  ha !  "  was  all  she  answered. 

"  Her  tale  is  nonsense !  She  is  making  game  of 
us,"  exclaimed  Gulbeyzah,  breaking  out  in  laughter. 
"  She  was  not  gone  five  minutes,  that  is  known. 
Thou  shalt  be  paid  full  measure,  little  poison-flower! 
Confess  now  that  thy  story  is  all  lies ! " 

The  marvel  was  that  every  word  proved  true. 


CHAPTER    II 

MUHAMMAD  PASHA  SALIH  was  intensely  worried. 
As  he  drove  toward  the  English  Consul's  office,  he  let 
deep  furrows  ravage  his  benignant  brow,  and  combed 
his  long  grey  beard  with  nervous  fingers.  The  ever- 
shifting  crowds,  the  eager  faces,  the  laden  camels 
rolling  on  like  ships  upon  the  sea  of  heads ;  the  water- 
sellers  clinking  their  brass  cups,  the  cries  of  sales- 
men and  the  floating  odours  —  all  the  pageant  of  the 
streets  and  all  their  rumour,  which  filled  the  sunlight 
and  seemed  one  with  it,  went  by  unnoticed. 

In  youth  he  had  been  wedded  to  a  noble  Turkish 
lady,  the  sweetest  and  most  gentle  of  companions. 
Never  an  angry  word  had  passed  between  them. 
But,  alas !  when  all  her  children  died  soon  after  birth, 
Murjanah  Khanum  had  grown  melancholy  and  re- 
tired from  life.  She  still  dwelt  in  his  house,  was  still 
the  nominal  head  of  his  harim;  but  for  more  than 
twenty  years  she  had  been  dead  to  pleasure.  At 
first  he  had  amused  himself  with  pretty  slaves,  being 
reluctant  to  infringe  her  dignity  of  only  wife.  Then, 
at  her  instance,  for  she  feared  debauch  for  him,  he 
had  espoused  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  native, 
whom  the  caprice  of  a  former  ruler  had  exalted. 
The  marriage,  besides  raising  his  importance,  had 

10 


VEILED  WOMEN  11 

brought  him  four  male  children.  Yet  at  this  mo- 
ment, with  the  curses  of  the  termagant  still  ringing 
in  his  ears,  he  almost  wished  he  had  let  well  alone 
and  kept  to  concubines. 

Allah  knew  that  Yvisuf's  malady  was  not  uncom- 
mon at  his  age;  the  cure  self-evident.  The  govern- 
ess was  not  a  heathen.  She  was  of  those  who  have 
received  the  Scriptures,  therefore  marriageable. 
Moreover,  being,  as  he  shrewdly  guessed,  of  no  con- 
sideration in  her  native  land,  she  might  be  tempted 
by  a  life  of  wealth  and  ease.  To  save  his  son  from 
death,  he  had  besought  the  Englishwoman,  imagin- 
ing that  her  consent  would  fill  the  house  with  joy- 
cries.  Yet  when  the  cause  was  won,  the  only  pos- 
sible objection  cancelled  by  the  girl's  unlooked-for 
turn  to  El  Islam,  behold !  the  lady  Fitnah's  grief  was 
changed  to  fury.  The  wrangle  with  her  had  per- 
turbed him  at  a  moment  when  he  stood  in  need  of  all 
his  wits  to  brave  the  Consul.  Well,  Allah  saw  what 
trials  he  endured! 

The  carriage  drew  up  in  a  quiet  alley,  before  a 
gateway  ornamented  with  a  coloured  picture  of  lions 
great  and  small  in  funny  attitudes.  Two  Cawasses 
in  silver-braided  jackets  with  long  dangling  sleeves 
rose  from  stools  beside  the  threshold  and  saluted. 
Muhammad  Pasha  passed  between  them,  crossing  a 
courtyard  to  a  second  door,  wide  open  like  the  first. 
There,  in  a  whitewashed  room,  two  Copts  sat  at  a 
table,  cutting  pens.  They  both  sprang  up  at  recog- 
nition of  the  visitor  and  strove  to  kiss  his  hands, 


12  VEILED  WOMEN 

which  he  prevented  by  patting  each  upon  the  shoulder 
kindly. 

"Is  the  Consul  busy,  O  my  children?"  he  in- 
quired. "  I  have  an  errand  of  importance.  Please 
inform  him." 

"  Upon  my  head.     I  go  at  once,  by  Allah !  " 

One  of  the  Copts  leapt  to  an  inner  door  and 
knocked  thereon.  Enjoined  to  enter,  he  opened  it 
just  far  enough  for  the  introduction  of  his  body,  and 
slipped  in.  Anon  returning  in  the  same  respectful 
manner,  he  beckoned  to  the  Pasha.  Then  he  flung 
the  door  wide  open,  and  stood  aside,  with  eyes  down- 
cast and  hands  demurely  folded. 

Muhammad  Pasha  entered  with  a  beating  heart. 
His  mission  was  of  essence  delicate,  and  he  was  anx- 
ious to  avoid  all  odour  of  offence  towards  a  foreign 
representative  possessing  influence.  Having  touched 
hands  with  the  Consul  and  exchanged  greetings,  he 
sat  down  on  the  extreme  edge  of  a  chair,  and  toying 
with  his  amber  rosary,  thus  broached  his  business :  — 

"  Monsieur  le  Consul," —  the  conversation  was  in 
French  of  the  Byzantine  school,  — "  you  remember 
the  young  lady  whom  you  were  good  enough  to 
recommend  as  an  instructress  for  my  children.  Can 
you  inform  me  of  her  origin,  her  previous  history?  " 

"  Excellency,  I  only  know  what  she  herself  con- 
fided :  that  she  was  educated  at  a  religious  institution 
for  poor  children  of  good  family.  She  has  no  rel- 
atives. She  came  here  to  be  governess  in  an  English 
house  which,  by  the  father's  sudden  death,  was 


VEILED  WOMEN  13 

brought  to  poverty  two  weeks  before  she  came.  She 
found  herself  here  without  a  situation  and  with  little 
money ;  and  as  she  was  well  recommended  and  im- 
pressed me  as  respectable,  I  thought  of  you,  remem- 
bering that  you  desired  an  English  governess.  I 
trust  that  you  are  satisfied  of  her  efficiency?  " 

"  Altogether.  She  has  been  a  month  now  in  our 
house,  and  almost  is  become  like  one  of  us.  She  is 
so  charming.  It  is  there,  the  trouble.  She  is  ravish- 
ing. Monsieur  le  Consul," —  here  the  Pasha  changed 
his  tone  for  that  of  one  who  bares  his  heart,  discard- 
ing courtesies,  — "  I  am  very  gravely  troubled.  The 
anxiety  I  suffer  cuts  digestion  and  gives  me  frightful 
belly-pains.  My  son  adores  this  demoiselle,  and  she 
adores  him.  The  affair  deprives  me  of  all  taste  for 
food.  You  see  my  sufferings  !  " 

"  Continue,  Excellency !  "  said  the  Consul  grimly. 
He  got  up  from  his  chair  and  paced  the  room.  The 
Pasha  kept  the  corner  of  an  eye  upon  him,  as  he 
proceeded : 

"  What  can  I  do?  The  demoiselle  has  been  se- 
cluded from  my  household,  as  I  promised  you.  But 
youth  leaps  boundaries;  love  can  speak  through 
walls.  My  son  has  seen  her  in  the  passages  —  their 
eyes  have  met  —  What  know  I?  Youth  is  fatal." 

Here  the  Pasha  wiped  his  eyes. 

"  Monsieur  le  Consul,  when  I  heard  of  this  two 
days  ago,  I  put  my  son  in  prison ;  I  went  myself  and 
reasoned  with  the  demoiselle.  I  have  reasoned  with 
them  both,  entreated,  threatened;  but  without  result. 


14.  VEILED  WOMEN 

I  fear  my  son  will  die  if  he  may  not  espouse  her. 
The  demoiselle  implores  me  not  to  cast  her  forth. 
She  says  —  it  is  so  touching !  —  that  we  are  her  only 
friends,  that  she  never  met  with  kindness  till  she  came 
to  us." 

"  Beg  her  to  come  this  afternoon  and  see  me,"  pro- 
nounced the  Englishman,  whose  face  had  darkened 
by  perceptible  gradations  as  he  listened. 

"  That  is  precisely  what  I  come  to  ask :  that  you 
will  scold  her.  God  knows  how  the  responsibility 
has  weighed  upon  me.  She  is  not  the  match  I  should 
myself  have  chosen  for  my  son;  but  still  I  should  be 
glad  of  the  alliance,  because  of  the  esteem  I  have  for 
all  the  English.  I  stand  impartial  in  the  case  and 
greatly  worried." 

"  Thank  you,  Excellency.  Send  her  to  me  this 
afternoon.  Is  there  anything  else?  " 

The  Pasha  had  already  risen  to  depart. 

"  One  thing."  He  dropped  his  voice  to  a  stage 
whisper.  "  In  the  frenzy  of  her  love  she  asks  to  be 
of  our  religion.  She  has  made  an  oath  of  her  con- 
version before  witnesses.  (The  Consul  swore.) 
But  have  no  care.  We  will  forget  it,  if "  -  the 
Pasha  laid  great  stress  on  the  condition,  and  for 
once  looked  boldly  in  the  other's  eyes  — "  if,  after 
consultation  with  you,  she  should  wish  to  recant." 

"  But  you  say  that  there  are  witnesses  to  her  con- 
version," cried  the  Frank,  with  bitterness.  "  I 
fail  to  see  how  it  can  be  forgotten.  There  would  be 
a  riot." 


VEILED  WOMEN  15 

"  The  witnesses  are  of  my  house,"  rejoined  the 
Pasha  suavely.  "  My  command  is  guarantee  of 
their  discretion." 

"  Send  her  to  me !  "  The  final  words  were  uttered 
from  tight  lips  beneath  a  formidable  frown,  as  the 
Consul  flung  the  door  wide  open  for  the  Turk's  de- 
parture. 

"  Sont-ils  fanatiques,  ces  brutes-la?  Peuh!"  re- 
spired the  Pasha,  shaking  the  dust  from  off  his  boots 
as  he  regained  his  carriage.  "  The  girl  will  have  a 
cruel  hour,  poor  floweret!  That  dog  would  like  to 
kill  her.  But,  God  be  praised,  the  law  of  El  Islam 
is  still  sufficient  to  protect  a  convert  in  a  Muslim 
land !  " 

His  thoughts  of  the  lone  foreign  girl  were  full  of 
kindness.  She  was  his  daughter.  He  would  care 
for  her  true  happiness.  And  then  the  thought  of 
Fitnah's  rage,  recurring,  caused  him  to  frown,  and 
swear,  and  gnaw  his  underlip. 


CHAPTER    III 

IMMEDIATELY  on  his  return  to  his  own  house,  Mu- 
hammad Pasha  sent  a  eunuch  to  announce  his  coming 
to  the  lady  Fitnah.  He  found  her  lying  on  a  couch 
in  her  state  room.  Two  slaves,  who  had  been  busy 
fanning  her,  retired  before  him.  Seeing  she  lay  still 
with  eyes  closed  as  if  quite  exhausted,  he  drew  near 
and  whispered: 

"  Now,  in  sh' Allah,  O  beloved,  thou  wilt  hear  my 
reasons." 

.She  opened  great  brown  eyes,  bloodshot  with 
wrath,  and  glared  at  him  a  moment. 

"  Well,  what  news  ?  "  she  asked,  with  studied  cold- 
ness. 

The  Pasha  then  embarked  upon  his  story;  but,  at 
mention  of  the  Consul,  she  sprang  up  with  rage 
renewed,  expectorating: 

"  Curse  thy  father !  *  She  will  see  the  Consul,' 
sayest  thou?  The  Consul!  May  the  Consul  and 
his  whole  race  rot  with  agony !  It  is  simply  to  evade 
a  duty  which  is  thine  and  thine  alone.  Eject  her 
from  the  house  at  once,  thou  paltry  coward !  She 
will  kill  our  son.  I  know  thy  guile,  by  Allah !  Thou 
wilt  say,  '  The  Consul  orders  her  to  marry  Yusuf . 
We  must  obey  the  Consul,' —  O  salvation  !  —  when 

16 


VEILED  WOMEN  17 

all  the  while  thyself  art  father  of  the  mischief.  Oh, 
let  her  not  come  here  or,  by  my  fruitfulness !  these 
hands  shall  cling  to  her  and  not  leave  hold  till  they 
have  made  her  so  that  no  man  could  desire  her." 

Expostulation  proving  vain,  her  lord  retired  in 
great  annoyance.  He  had  to  fear  a  scandal  in  his 
house,  an  inquisition  by  the  Consul,  ignominy,  if 
Yusuf's  mother  came  in  contact  with  the  English 
lady. 

In  this  dilemma,  as  in  every  other  which  con- 
cerned the  household,  he  went  for  counsel  to  his  only 
love  and  first  of  wives.  He  sent  a  herald  of  his  com- 
ing to  Murjanah  Khanum,  and  after  a  decent  interval 
repaired  to  her  apartments.  She  received  him  in  a 
large  room,  with  no  other  solid  furniture  than  a  low 
desk  on  which  a  manuscript  of  the  Coran  lay  open; 
but  exquisitely  clean  and  sweet,  a  contrast  to  those 
quarters  of  the  house  where  Fitnah  reigned.  The 
windows  were  constructed  of  the  finest  lattice-work, 
which  made  the  light  within  seem  rare  and  delicate. 
Murjanah,  old  but  stately,  fondled  her  lord's  hand. 

"  Thy  face  is  careworn,"  she  exclaimed,  perusing 
it.  "  In  sh'Allah,  all  the  news  is  good." 

"  In  sh'Allah,"  he  replied  mechanically.  "  But 
Allah  knows  that  I  am  greatly  troubled.  I  know  not 
what  to  do."  And  he  proceeded  to  describe  the  mad- 
ness of  the  lady  Fitnah.  At  the  tale's  conclusion,  a 
light  laugh  surprised  him. 

"  Thou  askest  what  to  do,"  exclaimed  Murjanah, 
"  when  there  is  danger  that  a  foolish  woman,  mad 


18  VEILED  WOMEN 

with  jealousy,  may  harm  a  guest  of  ours!  Hear  the 
word  of  Allah :  '  When  ye  have  cause  to  fear  their 
disobedience,  ye  shall  reprimand  them,  ye  shall  banish 
them  to  beds  apart,  and  ye  shall  beat  them.'  Is  not 
that  plain?  Beat  her!  It  is  thy  sacred  duty.  No, 
no,  she  will  not  cry  against  thee  to  the  Cadi.  She 
will  hide  her  fault.  All  women  look  to  men  for 
government,  and  if  it  is  withheld,  have  cause  of  grief. 
Trust  me,  beloved,  there  is  no  good  woman  who  would 
not  rather  suffer  stripes  occasionally  than  grow  for 
lack  of  them  into  a  shrieking  harridan.  Fitnah 
Khanum  is  my  durrah,  and  I  love  her  truly,  as  the 
mother  of  our  darling  children,  and  for  many  virtues. 
Still  I  say  to  thee  on  this  occasion :  beat  her  soundly. 
Bestow  on  her  a  perfect  beating,  O  my  soul !  " 

The  Pasha  kissed  his  old  wife's  hand  submissively, 
and  went  forth  from  her  presence  with  a  face  of  awe. 
The  high  proceeding  needed  courage,  for  a  man  so 
kindly.  He  went  to  the  small  chamber  where  the 
eunuchs  sat  when  not  on  duty,  and  called,  "  Sawwab ! 
Meymun!  Bring  me  a  big  kurbaj.  Attend  me, 
both  of  you !  " 

The  silent,  swift  obedience  of  those  servants 
showed  the  impression  made  by  his  unusual  sternness. 
Their  help  was  necessary  that  the  scene  to  come 
might  wear  the  aspect  of  an  execution,  not  a  struggle. 

Whip  in  hand,  Muhammad  Pasha  crossed  a  court- 
yard and  entered  a  small  room  remote  from  others. 

"  Bring  Fitnah  Khanum  hither  secretly !  "  he  told 
the  eunuchs. 


VEILED  WOMEN  19 

Sawwab,  the  fat,  was  seized  with  trembling;  while 
Meymun,  a  tall,  gaunt  creature,  gave  a  deathlike 
grin.  They  sped,  however.  Three  minutes  had  not 
passed  before  the  lady  Fitnah,  deftly  bound  and 
gagged,  was  borne  into  the  lonely  chamber  and  the 
door  was  shut. 

Half  an  hour  later,  Muhammad  Pasha  Salih  sat 
conversing  with  the  English  lady,  preparing  her 
intelligence  to  meet  the  Consul's  arguments,  which  he 
forewarned  her  would  be  all  misstatements  born  of 
blind  fanaticism.  When  married  to  Yusuf,  he  as- 
sured her,  and  himself  believed  it,  she  would  hardly 
know  the  difference  from  an  English  home. 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE  English  girl,  meanwhile,  experienced  a  passion- 
ate elation,  like  new  life.  The  Pasha's  exhortations 
were  not  needed.  Rebellion,  which  had  always  lurked 
beneath  her  trained  subservience,  now  clothed  her  in 
its  flames  and  made  her  terrible  for  any  one  who 
dared  assail  her  new-found  pride. 

What  had  she  to  regret?  From  childhood  she  had 
been  repressed,  humiliated,  and  ordered  to  be  thank- 
ful for  bare  daily  bread.  In  Christian  families  her 
lot  had  been  unenviable.  Here,  in  this  Muslim 
household,  she  was  somebody.  The  month  spent 
here  had  been  the  happiest  in  her  life.  But,  bred  up 
to  regard  employers  as  a  race  apart,  —  impressed, 
moreover,  by  the  grandeur  of  the  house  and  by  the 
rank  of  Pasha,  —  she  had  never  dreamt  of  being 
thought  an  equal  by  her  entertainers.  When  Yusuf 
Bey,  whom  she  had  noticed  for  his  beauty,  assailed 
her  in  the  hall,  she  had  imagined  his  intentions  far 
from  honourable,  judging  from  past  experience  in 
English  houses.  She  had  fled  to  her  own  rooms, 
ashamed  and  angry,  while  the  image  of  his  face 
alight  with  passion  remained  to  trouble  her  against 
her  will.  When  the  Pasha  came  and  begged  her  in 
most  flattering  terms  to  condescend  to  marry  his  un- 

20 


VEILED  WOMEN  21 

worthy  son,  she  nearly  swooned.  All  her  resistance 
sprang  from  incredulity.  When  once  convinced  that 
the  demand  was  earnest,  she  gave  way  with  grateful 
tears.  Then  her  resolve  became  a  living  faith.  It 
was  to  break  the  bondage  of  the  past  completely,  to 
cast  in  her  lot  for  ever  with  these  friends  who  wanted 
her. 

They  were  wealthy,  of  exalted  rank,  and  yet  they 
wanted  her.  They  thought  her  lovely,  who  had  al- 
ways been  esteemed  entirely  plain,  with  her  squat 
figure,  apple  cheeks,  and  sandy  hair.  The  sleekest 
youth  in  all  the  world  desired  her.  It  was  so  marvel- 
lous that  she  was  forced  to  rub  her  eyes  and  fix  their 
gaze  on  homely  objects  to  dispel  the  sense  of  some 
enchantment.  The  difference  of  religion  gave  her  no 
concern;  indeed,  the  change  was  welcome,  she  had 
been  so  cramped  by  English  pietism.  In  this  mood, 
she  was  fire  against  the  Consul.  A  world  of  hap- 
piness was  opened  suddenly,  and  there  were  those 
who  would  debar  her  from  it.  Woe  betide  them! 

The  Pasha  himself  escorted  her  to  where  a  harim 
carriage  waited.  Sawwab  the  eunuch  held  the  door 
for  her. 

"  The  carriage  will  be  there  to  bring  you  back," 
the  Pasha  told  her.  "  I  have  ordered  the  servants 
by  no  means  to  return  without  you,  upon  pain  of 
death." 

The  implied  suspicion  that  she  might  be  kidnapped 
made  her  laugh. 

"  Remember,   my   son's   life   is   in   your  hands  — 


22  VEILED  WOMEN 

such  pretty  hands !  His  earthly  happiness  is  trusted 
to  this  carriage,  all  too  vile  to  hold  so  sweet  a  burden. 
Day  and  night  he  dreams  of  nothing  but  your 
charms.  If  your  mind  changes  he  will  surely  die." 

She  laughed  and  kissed  her  fingers  to  the  dear  old 
man,  as  she  stepped  up  into  the  carriage.  The 
eunuch  slammed  the  door,  which  was  close-shuttered, 
leaving  her  in  perfumed  shade.  A  burning  blush 
suffused  her  as  she  thought  of  Yusuf  —  his  strained, 
eager  face,  his  yearning  lips,  beheld  that  once  to 
haunt  her  consciousness,  a  naked  shape  of  love.  But 
pride  was  uppermost  in  all  her  thoughts  just  then  — 
pride  in  the  comfortable  carriage,  the  attentive  serv- 
ants —  pride  in  her  new-found  value,  in  her  new- 
found relatives,  and  in  the  daring  resolution  she  had 
made  to  break  with  England.  The  foreign  clamour 
of  the  streets,  the  curious,  heady  odours,  flattered  her 
with  a  sense  of  strange  adventure. 

Radiant,  she  alighted  at  the  gate  which  bore  the 
royal  arms  of  England,  near  which  an  open  carriage 
also  waited,  and  passed  into  the  Consul's  office.  She 
expected  sternness,  but  the  Consul  smiled  agreeably, 
and  after  shaking  hands  with  her,  took  up  his  hat. 

"  I  have  been  thinking,"  he  observed,  "  that  all  I 
have  to  say  could  be  much  better  said  by  some  one 
else  —  a  woman.  I  should  be  hampered  by  embar- 
rassment." He  smiled.  "  So,  if  you  don't  mind,  I 
have  sent  a  note  to  Mrs.  Cameron,  asking  leave  to 
bring  you  out  to  tea  with  her  this  afternoon.  I  have 
a  carriage  at  the  door." 


VEILED  WOMEN  23 

"  I  also  have  a  carriage,"  she  replied,  with  a  light 
laugh,  as  they  went  out  together.  She  could  not  but 
admire  his  strategy,  for  Mrs.  Cameron,  the  leader  of 
the  English  colony,  was  a  gentlewoman  of  the 
straightest  Christian  outlook,  the  last  person  whom 
a  renegade  would  care  to  face.  She  had,  moreover, 
been  all  kindness  to  the  stranded  girl,  hospitably 
entertaining  her  until  she  found  a  situation.  Since 
going  to  Muhammad  Pasha's  house  the  governess  had 
spent  a  Sunday  with  her,  and  heard  warnings.  To 
brave  her  now  would  be  an  ordeal,  but  no  matter. 
The  destined  bride  of  Yiisuf  scorned  all  fear. 

Out  at  the  gate  the  Consul  eyed  her  carriage  with 
intense  disfavour,  especially  Sawwab  the  eunuch,  who 
stood  ready  at  the  door. 

"  You  will  kindly  come  in  mine,"  he  said  per- 
emptorily. 

"  Then  you  will  kindly  tell  the  Pasha's  man  to 
follow,"  she  replied,  with  eyes  that  twinkled  laughter 
at  his  show  of  temper. 

He  shouted  to  the  Pasha's  coachman,  and  got  in 
beside  her.  For  a  while  they  drove  in  silence,  the 
Consul  stealing  glances  at  her  face  from  time  to  time. 
She  knew  that  he  was  struck  by  the  new  charm  of 
her.  His  manner  had  a  dash  of  gallantry  which 
was  amusing. 

"  I  hate  to  see  you  in  that  carriage,  with  those 
servants,"  he  exclaimed  at  length  impulsively. 
"  You  must  forgive  me.  I  have  lived  here  years, 
and  know  the  country." 


24  VEILED  WOMEN 

Again  she  laughed  and  her  eyes  quizzed  him.  The 
thought  that  she  knew  more  than  he  did,  possibly, 
was  made  conviction  by  his  next  remark: 

"  Please  realise  that  you  are  absolutely  free. 
Whatever  may  have  happened  —  I  mean  whatever 
influences  have  been  brought  to  bear  —  those  people 
cannot  hurt  you  now,  or  even  reach  you."  This  man 
who  knew  the  country  suspected  the  good  Pasha  of 
iniquity,  and  looked  upon  his  palace  as  a  den  of  vice. 
She  said: 

"  There  has  been  nothing  of  the  kind.  I  have 
never  been  so  kindly  treated  or  so  happy." 

He  hemmed  and  hawed,  remarking: 

"  Well,  remember  what  I  say.  And  don't  forget 
that,  as  a  British  subject  here,  you  have  great  priv- 
ileges which,  whatever  happens,  you  will  be  unwise  to 
forfeit.  I  hope  you  will  confide  in  Mrs.  Cameron. 
There  is  no  one  in  this  world  more  kind  and  trust- 
worthy." 

She  answered,  "  Thanks !  "  and  turned  from  him 
to  contemplate  the  passing  scene.  Their  carriage 
flew  along  a  sandy  lane  between  walled  gardens  of 
the  suburbs,  with  here  and  there  a  mansion  closely 
shuttered  towards  the  street.  The  road  was  covered 
with  the  long  procession  of  the  fellahin  returning 
outward  »to  their  villages  —  men  straddled  over 
donkeys  between  empty  paniers  •,  women  stalked  erect 
and  queen-like  in  their  graceful  drapery;  here  and 
there  a  camel  sauntered,  led  by  some  bare-legged  boy 
—  the  whole,  obscured  by  clouds  of  dust,  illumined 


VEILED  WOMEN  25 

warmly  by  the  rays  of  the  declining  sun,  or  steeped 
in  the  deep  shadow  of  mud  walls.  Footfarers,  forced 
aside  to  let  the  carriage  pass,  stared  at  its  inmates 
with  contemptuous  eyes.  The  garb  of  Europe  was 
a  blot  upon  the  peaceful  scene.  Her  heart  went  out 
to  all  those  people,  plodding,  contented,  in  the  sunlit 
dust.  Henceforth  she  would  be  nothing  strange  to 
them,  she  swore  it. 

"  Here  we  are !  "  The  Consul's  voice  disturbed 
her  reverie.  He  shouted  to  the  driver  and  the  car- 
riage stopped.  The  harim  carriage  drew  up  close 
behind  it.  A  door  in  a  high  wall  was  opened  by  a 
smiling  negro.  A  minute  later  she  was  in  a  cool 
verandah,  looking  on  a  well-kept  garden,  outside  a 
very  English  drawing-room. 

It  was  a  house  where  all  was  tidy  and  precise, 
a  hostile  element  to  one  in  love  with  the  untrimmed 
profusion  of  the  Pasha's  palace.  She  hated  it  as 
servants  hate  a  nagging  mistress. 

"  Now,  having  brought  you  two  together,  I  shall 
leave  you,"  said  the  Consul  pleasantly.  "  This 
young  lady,  Mrs.  Cameron,  has  gone  and  got  herself 
into  a  precious  fix.  Confess  her  thoroughly,  and 
then  we'll  find  some  way  to  get  her  out  of  it." 

"  But  I  have  no  desire  to  get  out  of  it,"  cried  the 
girl,  exasperated.  "  The  fix,  as  you  are  pleased  to 
call  it,  is  my  greatest  happiness." 

But  the  Consul  was  already  gone,  delighted  as  it 
seemed  to  wash  his  hands  of  her.  She  found  herself 
alone  with  Mrs.  Cameron. 


26  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  We'll  have  some  tea  at  once,  and  you  must  see 
the  children,"  was  that  lady's  first  remark,  so  dif- 
ferent from  the  attack  anticipated  that  the  guest,  all 
nerved  for  battle,  felt  defrauded.  Though  ready  to 
resist  with  fury,  she  lacked  the  energy  required  to 
open  fight.  Tea  came,  and  with  it  the  three  tow- 
haired  children,  whose  presence  made  all  talk  im- 
possible. The  girl  sat  moody,  in  abeyance,  replying 
briefly  to  remarks  addressed  to  her.  The  garden 
perfumes  became  stronger  as  the  sun  sank.  They, 
or  some  kindred  but  more  subtle  influence,  obscured 
her  brain  with  fumes  in  which  her  purpose  loomed 
unreal  and  enormous.  The  homely  scene  appealed 
to  her  against  her  will.  Almost  she  had  the  sense  of 
hands  held  out  to  her,  while  Mrs.  Cameron  was  talk- 
ing nonsense  with  the  children.  This  playing  on  her 
nerves  seemed  a  mean  stratagem.  Hot  anger  grew 
beneath  her  careless  shell. 

At  length  the  youngsters  were  dismissed.  The 
girl  then  braced  herself  to  meet  the  blow.  Again  she 
felt  a  keen  pang  of  deception  when  her  hostess 
said: 

"  I  am  going  to  ask  you  a  great  favour.  Stay 
the  night  with  me !  My  husband  is  away  at  Alex- 
andria. I  am  really  lonely." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  but  it  is  really  quite  im- 
possible,"—  there  was  poison  in  the  honey  of  this 
sweet  reply,  —  "  I  have  a  carriage  waiting." 

"  We  can  send  it  with  a  message." 

"  No,  really,  thank  you !     I  have  stayed  too  long 


VEILED  WOMEN  27 

already."  She  suddenly  bethought  her  of  the  master 
move,  and  rose  determined. 

"  No,  sit  down,  my  dear ! "  cried  Mrs.  Cameron. 
"  I  have  to  talk  to  you.  And  though  I  would  rather 
have  had  the  night  in  which  to  think  things  over,  I 
must,  since  you  force  me  to  it,  speak  quite  simply 
now.  I  say:  Don't  do  it,  child!  Don't  take  the 
step  the  Consul  tells  me  that  you  contemplate!  He 
thought  that  you  had  been  seduced  by  unfair  prac- 
tices ;  but  that,  I  see  from  your  behaviour,  is  not  so. 
It  is  just  the  charm  of  novelty,  the  spirit  of  adven- 
ture—  is  it  not?  —  with  just,  perhaps,  a  little  mis- 
chief prompting,  a  little  grudge  against  the  dull  life 
you  have  led.  My  love,  you  must  not  be  allowed  to 
do  it  —  you,  an  Englishwoman !  It  degrades  us  all. 
I  have  lived  out  here  for  years,  and  I  assure  you  that, 
if  a  daughter  of  mine  declared  her  will  to  marry  one 
of  them,  sooner  than  it  should  happen  I  would  kill 
her  with  my  own  hands.  A  girl !  —  It  is  unheard  of ! 
With  their  view  of  women !  " 

"  It  is  plain  you  know  nothing  about  them," 
sneered  the  other ;  "  at  any  rate,  about  the  class  of 
people  I  have  mixed  with.  They  have  the  greatest 
reverence  for  women.  You  suppose,  because  we 
veil  —  " 

"We!"  interjected  Mrs.  Cameron. 

'*  Yes,  we ;  for  I  am  one  of  those  whom  you  so 
grossly  slander."  A  drum  of  battle  beat  at  either 
temple  of  the  girl  thus  brought  to  bay.  Her  brain 
reeled  with  indignation,  and  her  voice  grew  husky. 


28  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  I  say,  you  think  because  we  veil  that  we  are  quite 
degraded,  the  same  as  we  do  when  we  see  your  faces 
bare.  The  difference  is  one  of  custom  only.  Under- 
neath our  veils,  in  our  own  houses,  we  are  just  as 
happy  and  as  free  as  you  are.  ...  It  is  too  droll! 
You  fancy  that  Mahometan  women  have  their  lives 
made  miserable?  Why,  I  have  never  known  such 
happy  women.  From  my  rooms,  I  hear  them  laugh- 
ing, playing,  singing  all  day  long." 

"  Poor  things !  They  know  no  other  life.  You 
do,  and  would  be  miserable  in  the  same  conditions. 
Have  you  ever  thought  of  what  polygamy  involves 
—  for  women,  anyhow  ?  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  extremely  sensible  and  kind  to 
women.  It  takes  into  consideration  facts  which  we 
slur  over,  cruelly.  It  gives  to  every  girl  a  chance 
of  motherhood." 

"  My  dear ! "  exclaimed  the  mentor,  greatly 
shocked. 

"  I  don't  care  what  you  think.     It  is  quite  true." 
"  You    are    young    and    inexperienced.     We    who 
live  in  the  country  hear  of  things  of  which  you  can- 
not   possibly   know   anything  —  things    that    I    wish 
most  heartily  that  you  may  never  know.     That  is 
why  I  beg  of  you  earnestly  to  change  your  mind." 
"  Nothing  will  make  me  do  that." 
"  Then  you  are  honestly  in  love,  and  we  will  say 
no   more  on  that  point."     The   forbearance   was   so 
unexpected    that    the    governess    was    startled    and 
stared  at  Mrs.  Cameron  with  unbelieying  eyes.     The 


VEILED  WOMEN  29 

elder  lady  showed  such  trembling  earnestness  that  she 
grieved  for  the  necessity  to  shock  and  wound  her. 
"  There  remains  another  question,  on  an  altogether 
higher  plane  —  I  mean  the  question  of  religion." 
Mrs.  Cameron's  voice  turned  awestruck.  "  The 
Consul  tells  me  —  but  oh,  no !  It  is  too  fearful !  " 

" 1  don't  see  why ! "  returned  the  other  doggedly. 
"  They  worship  God  as  we  do,  and  they  count  Christ 
as  a  prophet.  They  are  no  more  fearful  than  the 
Unitarians  in  England.  And  I  am  sure  they  think 
much  more  about  religion  in  their  daily  lives  than 
people  do  at  home." 

"  They  deny  the  essence  of  Christianity  —  the 
Redemption.  How  can  you  turn  your  back  upon 
that  marvel  of  Divine  Love?  Their  ideals  are  all 
much  lower,  more  material.  .  .  .  My  dear,  I  see 
that  you  have  come  here  primed  with  specious  argu- 
ments, and  I  regret  that  I  am  not  clever  enough  to 
make  you  see  their  falseness.  I  wish  I  had  the 
tongues  of  all  the  angels  at  this  moment  grieving  over 
you,  to  show  you  how  terrific  is  the  gulf  you  view  so 
lightly." 

The  girl  laughed  nervously.  "  I  don't  suppose 
the  angels  bother  much.  You  talk  as  if  God  only 
cared  for  Christians.  I'm  sure  He  thinks  the  Mos- 
lems just  as  valuable.  If  you  are  so  much  better, 
why  don't  you  mix  with  them  and  try  to  do  them 
good?" 

"  Some  of  us  are  doing  so." 

"  In  such  a  way !  .  .  ." 


30  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  We  are  not  discussing  missionary  methods,  dear. 
Your  case  is  the  only  one  before  us." 

"  Well,  you  say  that  missionaries  mean  to  do  good 
in  their  way;  but  it  never  seems  to  strike  you  that  I 
may  hope  to  do  a  little  good  in  mine !  " 

Her  tone  grew  plaintive;  the  long  contest  wearied 
her.  The  bloom  of  shadow  on  the  garden,  under- 
neath the  rose  of  sunset,  the  voices  of  the  evening 
made  her  wistful ;  while  the  sadness  which  attends  all 
partings  clutched  her  heart.  The  whine  of  doing 
good  had  slipped  from  her  at  unawares  —  an  echo 
from  her  former  life  of  hired  hypocrisy.  It  had  been 
the  natural  tone  of  conversation  with  a  lady  of  the 
class  "  employer." 

"  That  rings  untrue.  You're  simply  talking  for 
effect !  "  cried  Mrs.  Cameron,  indignant.  "  It  is  un- 
kind when  I  am  speaking  from  my  heart  of 
hearts.  .  .  .  Now,  only  one  word  more.  If  you  ever 
loved  any  one  —  father,  or  mother,  or  friend  —  at 
home  in  England,  think  of  that  person  and  just  ask 
yourself  what  he  or  she  would  think  of  your  denying 
Christ.  The  act  is  so  uncalled-for  that  it  seems  like 
wanton  wickedness.  You  can  marry  your  Mahom- 
etan without  renouncing  Christianity,  and  by  so  do- 
ing you  would  have  more  honour  in  your  husband's 
eyes.  You  could  retain  your  status  as  a  British 
subject,  which  means  something  here;  and  if  you 
really  have  a  purpose  to  do  good  among  those  people, 
you  would  be  in  a  better  position  to  do  so  than  by 
sinking  to  their  level." 


VEILED  WOMEN  31 

"  I  won't  hear  a  word  more !  Oh,  you  are  brutal !  " 
The  girl  started  up  with  hands  and  teeth  clenched, 
past  endurance.  "  Oh,  you  are  brutal  to  bully  me 
like  this !  I  tell  you  once  for  all,  I  love  those  people, 
whom  you  and  all  your  kind  hate  and  tell  lies  about. 
No  one  was  ever  really  nice  to  me  before.  They  are 
a  million  times  better  than  any  Christians  I  have  ever 
known.  I  tell  you  I  belong  to  them,  and  not  to  you ! 
I  mean  to  have  the  same  religion  as  my  husband,  and 
if  he  goes  to  Hell,  well,  I'll  go  too !  Do  you  under- 
stand? "  Her  words  now  came  in  gusts,  for  she  was 
sobbing  heavily.  "  You'll  never  see  me  any  more,  of 
course,  for  I'm  a  wicked  Moslem  and  you're  so  fa- 
natical !  I  don't  care ;  I  can  do  without  you.  I  have 
truer  friends,  who  really  like  me  and  don't  only 
patronise.  Oh,  how  can.  you  make  me  cry  like  this, 
when  I  was  so  —  so  happy !  " 

To  her  surprise,  she  found  herself  in  her  tor- 
mentor's arms. 

"  You  wrong  me,  dear.  I'm  not  fanatical,  nor 
yet  so  narrow-minded  as  you  think.  Now,  will  you 
promise  that,  whatever  happens,  you  will  look  upon 
me  as  a  friend  and  come  to  see  me  sometimes?  I 
have  said  all  I  can  to  dissuade  you,  because  I  fear  you 
may  repent  of  your  decision  when  too  late.  My 
hope  is,  now  and  always,  that  you  may  be  happy. 
You'll  promise,  won't  you,  still  to  make  a  friend  of 
me?" 

The  girl  nodded,  sobbing,  speechless  with  emotion. 

"  Well,  then,  God  bless  you,  dear,  among  the  Mos- 


SS  VEILED  WOMEN 

lems,  and  may  you  always  bear  the  standard  of  true 
Christian  womanhood !  " 

With  that  two-edged  blessing  in  her  ears,  the 
renegade,  a  bowed  and  shrinking  figure,  traversed  the 
garden  in  the  blue  of  twilight.  She  felt  guilty  and 
unnerved,  irresolute,  until  she  saw  the  Pasha's  car- 
riage waiting  in  the  lane,  when  pride  returned.  The 
tears  yet  wet  upon  her  cheeks,  she  stood  erect  and 
sniffed  the  evening  air.  There  was  still  much  traffic 
on  the  sandy  road,  running  between  dark  garden- 
walls  to  where,  beside  a  little  dome,  a  single  palm- 
plume  stood  up  black  against  the  sky.  The  dust 
kicked  up  by  donkeys'  hoofs,  by  people's  footsteps, 
rose  greenish  like  wood-smoke.  Some  wayfarers  al- 
ready carried  lighted  lanterns  which  made  coloured 
circles  in  the  gloaming  like  the  peacock's  eyes.  A 
life  of  passionate  adventure  lay  before  her,  most 
curious  and  rich  and  warm  with  human  failings, 
much  better  worth  than  that  which  she  had  left 
behind. 

Sawwab  the  eunuch  held  the  carriage  door  for  her, 
and  murmured  "  Praise  to  Allah !  "  as  he  shut  her  in. 
She  saw  him  merely  as  a  well-trained  servant,  having 
as  yet  no  inkling  of  his  grim  significance. 


CHAPTER   V 

MUHAMMAD  PASHA  SALIH  went  again  to  see  the  Con- 
sul, this  time  upon  receiving  a  peremptory  summons. 
He  came  away  with  smart  sensations  of  indignity,  the 
unbeliever  having  warned  him  to  take  care  of  his 
behaviour  to  the  English  governess.  The  marriage 
contract,  he  was  told,  must  be  in  order,  and  every 
detail  of  her  treatment  strictly  honourable.  These 
admonitions  thrown  as  to  a  dog,  to  him,  the  known 
embodiment  of  goodness,  made  him  cry.  When  he 
got  home  it  was  to  find  a  note  from  the  Grand  Cadi, 
requesting  him  to  call  at  once  upon  that  dignitary, 
who  besought  him,  for  the  honour  of  the  Faith,  to  be 
precise  in  all  his  dealings  with  the  English  convert. 
And  when,  that  afternoon,  he  waited  in  his  duty  on 
the  lord  of  Egypt,  that  prince  demanded  tidings  of 
the  Englishwoman  and,  jesting,  told  him  to  be  sure 
and  use  her  kindly. 

"  She  must  be  a  rare  pearl,"  the  sovereign 
chuckled.  "  The  English  Representative  is  mad- 
dened by  her  loss.  By  God  and  His  Apostle,  I 
have  half  a  mind  to  snatch  her  from  thee." 

For  one  whose  house  had  always  been  a  guarded 
sanctuary,  who  never  made  nor  brooked  the  least 
allusion  to  his  women,  such  language  from  licentious 
lips,  in  hearing  of  the  throng  of  courtiers,  was  sheer 

M 


34  VEILED  WOMEN 

ignominy.  He  cursed  the  parents  and  religion  of 
the  English  Consul,  the  cause  of  this  indecent  noising 
of  a  private  matter.  The  dog  appeared  to  fancy 
that  he  had  to  do  with  f ellahin  or  small  officials ;  for 
he  had  spoken  of  the  facility  of  divorce  and  the 
danger  of  the  Englishwoman  being  cast  adrift. 
Among  the  vulgar  there  were  men  who  changed 
wives  constantly,  even  persecuting  her  they  had  till 
she  herself  besought  the  Cadi  for  release,  thus  for- 
feiting the  dowry  which  was  justly  hers.  Such  men 
might  be,  who  thought  it  clever  to  defraud  poor 
maidens.  But  that  any  one  could  think  that  he, 
Muhammad  Pasha,  or  a  child  of  his,  could  harbour 
such  iniquity  seemed  barely  credible.  The  hot  tears 
stung  his  eyeballs  at  the  thought  of  it. 

"  Just  Allah ! "  he  exclaimed  within  himself. 
"  Does  he  suppose  that  we  have  no  morality? 
Would  he,  whose  native  customs  are  as  shameless 
as  the  ways  of  beasts,  leaving  females  unprotected 
and  at  large,  instruct  us  how  to  cherish  and  to  guard 
a  woman?  He  talks  as  if  I  were  some  pimp  or 
ruffian,  when  I  am  dealing  with  the  maid  as  faith- 
fully as  if  she  were  my  only  child !  " 

In  truth,  before  this  trouble  with  the  Consul,  at 
the  ceremony  of  betrothal,  when  he  himself  had 
prompted  the  bride's  proxy,  he  had  assigned  to  her 
a  dowry  of  three  thousand  pounds  —  a  sum  sufficient 
to  make  Yusuf  hesitate,  however  angry,  before  he 
gave  the  order  for  divorce.  He  had,  moreover, 
spoken  to  his  son  most  gravely,  pointing  out  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  35 

friendless  state  of  the  young  woman,  and  informing 
him  that  if  he  took  her  it  must  be  for  life.  Yusuf 
had  made  frantic  answer  in  the  way  of  lovers,  com- 
paring his  fidelity  to  stars  and  blossoms.  The  Pasha 
bound  him  by  a  solemn  oath  always  to  show  for- 
bearance to  his  foreign  wife.  He  then  drove  him 
forth  to  spend  the  time  until  the  wedding  in  a 
cousin's  house;  where,  as  he  had  heard  this  after- 
noon from  the  said  cousin,  Yusuf  kept  raving  of  his 
love  —  in  abstract  terms,  for  decency  —  till  the  whole 
selamlik  was  infected  with  the  trick  of  sighing. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  honourable  than  his 
conduct.  The  girl  was  better  off  than  ever  in  her 
life  before,  and  knew  it.  He  swore  an  oath  to  let  the 
Consul  know  it  too. 

Accordingly,  returning  to  his  house  that  evening, 
he  craved  immediate  audience  of  the  sometime  gover- 
ness ;  and  shortly  entered  her  apartments,  which,  pro- 
viding simply  for  an  upper  servant  of  his  house,  he 
had  furnished  in  the  Frankish  manner  to  seem  home- 
like. If  he  had  gone  to  so  much  trouble  for  a 
stranger's  comfort,  was  it  likely  he  would  prove  a 
niggard  towards  his  dear  son's  bride?  The  pig  who 
thus  traduced  him  must  be  taught. 

The  girl  was  sitting  in  a  chair  beside  the  window, 
reading  an  English  book.  It  pleased  him  to  re- 
flect that  she  was  highly  educated.  In  these  bad 
times,  when  Frankish  lore  was  in  demand,  her  in- 
structions might  secure  advancement  to  a  man  like 
Yusuf,  who  knew  French  already. 


36  VEILED  WOMEN 

She  laid  aside  her  book  and  rose  to  meet  him  with 
a  charming  blush.  He  took  her  hand  and  raised  it 
to  his  lips ;  then  sank  down  on  a  chair  and  clasped 
his  brow. 

"  Ah,  mademoiselle ! "  he  moaned,  "  I  am  so 
troubled.  God  knows  my  heart  is  sad,  profoundly 
wounded.  You  are  kind  and  generous,  and  you 
know  our  hearts.  But  those  others  of  your  nation 
.  .  .  Pouf!  How  bitter!  How  fanatical!  They 
treat  me  and  rny  house  as  dirt.  Here  is  the  case: 
You  honour  my  poor  house;  you  are  alone;  you 
have  no  parents.  I  say  to  myself,  *  She  is  an  orphan ; 
I  will  be  her  father.'  I  therefore  do  what  parents 
do  according  to  our  customs.  I  provide  the  trous- 
seau; I  also  bargain  with  the  bridegroom's  people  to 
enddw  you  richly. 

"  Let  me  explain  what  that  means,  since  it  must 
be  quite  unknown  to  you.  With  us,  divorce  is  easy; 
it  suffices  for  the  man  to  say  a  little  formula;  but 
the  husband  must  support  the  wife  for  three  months 
afterwards,  and  he  must  pay  the  balance  of  the  dowry 
stated  in  the  marriage  contract,  or,  if  no  portion  has 
been  paid  beforehand,  then  J;he  whole  of  it.  That 
makes  him  think.  And  the  greater  the  dowry,  the 
longer  will  he  meditate  before  divorcing  her.  Now 
I,  your  father,  have  talked  the  matter  over  with  my- 
self, the  bridegroom's  father,  and  have  obtained  for 
you  a  dowry  of  three  thousand  pounds  Egyptian. 
This  sum  will  be  stated  in  the  contract,  signed  and 
sealed  before  the  judge,  and  my  son  will  have  to  pay 


VEILED  WOMEN  37 

it  if  ever  he  desires  divorce,  which  God  forbid! 
Your  trousseau,  with  the  jewels  and  the  slaves  that  I 
am  going  to  give  you,  the  furniture  of  these  rooms 
and  more  which  I  shall  buy  to  supplement  it  —  I 
wish  your  house  to  be  the  kind  you  are  accustomed  to 
—  all  this,  I  say,  will  be  your  absolute  property,  and 
so  stipulated  in  the  contract." 

The  girl  had  seized  his  hand.  She  pressed  it  to 
her  lips  and  sighed: 

"  How  good  you  are !  " 

His  own  emotion  was  no  less  than  hers.  The 
humiliations  of  that  day  had  taxed  his  fortitude, 
and  the  sense  of  his  integrity  beneath  aspersion  was 
like  a  bubbling  fount  of  tears  in  outer  darkness. 
The  warm  touch  of  her  gratitude  unmanned  him 
quite.  He  sobbed  aloud: 

"  Ah,  mademoiselle !  God  knows  that  I  have  done 
my  best!  Yet  here  is  the  Consul  threatening  me, 
and  moving  all  the  Government  to  watch  me  closely; 
as  if  I  had  entrapped  you  for  some  evil  purpose !  — 
as  if  I  were  the  worst  of  criminals,  intent  to  harm  you ! 
...  I  cannot  vindicate  myself.  It  would  be  too  de- 
grading. And  if  he  thinks  me  such  a  first-class 
canaille  he  would  not  believe  me.  Therefore  I  come 
to  beg  you,  mademoiselle,  yourself  to  deign  to  write 
a  h'ttle  word  to  this  good  monsieur,  assuring  him 
that  we  are  not  the  monsters  he  supposes." 

The  girl's  face  flamed.  "  I  write  at  once ! "  she 
said,  and  rose  to  do  so. 

But    the    Pasha    cried :     "  One    moment,    made- 


38  VEILED  WOMEN 

moiselle !  "  He  wiped  his  eyes  and  struggled  to  re- 
cover firmness.  "  Do  not  suppose  that  I  complain ! 
Even  if  the  happiness  of  my  dear  son  were  not  con- 
cerned, I  would  suffer  more  than  this  —  much  more 
—  abominations  !  —  to  serve  so  beautiful  and  good  a 
lady.  I  fear  my  words  have  saddened  you.  Oh, 
God  forbid!  Never,  I  pray  you,  think  of  it  again, 
your  letter  written.  You  must  be  all  happy.  To- 
morrow you  must  go  among  our  ladies.  You  will 
find  there  mothers,  sisters,  longing  to  embrace  you. 
They  will  help  you  choose  the  stuffs  for  your  trous- 
seau. They  speak  Arabic,  of  which  you  know  few 
words  as  yet,  or  Turkish,  which  is  quite  unknown  to 
you.  But  my  widowed  sister  speaks  a  little  French, 
and  Murjanah  Khanum  owns  a  young  Circassian 
who  can  talk  it  fluently.  She  is  a  present  from  re- 
lations in  Constantinople  who  have  bred  her  from  a 
child  in  every  elegance.  At  the  time  of  the  great  war 
with  Russia,  French  was  much  the  mode;  even  girls 
learnt  it,  and  this  maid  of  whom  I  speak,  Gulbeyzah, 
talks  it  well.  She  shall  be  attached  to  you  as  in- 
terpreter. The  wedding,  if  it  please  you,  can  take 
place  next  week.  We  will  have  it  in  the  mode  of 
Europe  —  nothing  barbarous  !  " 

"  I  love  your  customs !  "  she  replied.  "  Let  it  be 
just  as  if  I  were  a  native  bride." 

"  No,  no,"  remarked  the  Pasha,  with  a  chuckle. 
"  There  are  many  usual  ceremonies  here  in  Egypt 
which  are  condemned  by  our  religion,  strictly  speak- 
ing. These  we  shall  exclude,  preserving  only  one  or 


VEILED  WOMEN  39 

two  which  may  amuse  you.  My  son  also  will  modify 
his  life  to  suit  your  foreign  standards;  it  is  only  just; 
although  the  life  of  our  own  ladies  is  by  no  means 
terrible,  as  you  will  find.  To-morrow  you  shall  spend 
in  the  haramlik.  You  will  find  there  many  friends. 
All,  all  will  love  you  and  make  glad  your  heart. 
And  now,  with  your  permission,  mademoiselle,  I  shall 
retire.  Forget  not  that  small  letter  to  the  Consul." 

Muhammad  Pasha,  coming  from  that  interview, 
was  traversing  the  hall  of  the  selamlik  towards  his 
study,  when  a  sudden  clamour  at  the  house-door 
startled  him. 

"Curse  thy  father!  Wait,  I  say!  Be  still  a 
minute !  "  cried  the  doorkeeper ;  while  another  voice 
yelled  madly,  "  I  must  see  the  Pasha.  Where  is  he  ? 
Let  me  pass,  I  say !  The  need  is  urgent !  " 

"  Cut  short  thy  life !  Wait  only !  Are  these  man- 
ners? He  has  entered  the  harim,  I  tell  thee!  " 

There  followed  sounds  as  of  a  struggle,  and  before 
the  Pasha  could  divine  the  meaning  of  the  uproar,  a 
youth  in  poor  attire  rushed  in  and  fell  before  him, 
panting : 

"  He  told  me  to  win  to  thee,  O  my  lord  —  to  fight 
my  way  through  armed  hosts  if  necessary,  to  seek 
thee  even  in  the  secrecy  of  the  harim,  saying  that  the 
letter  which  I  bear  would  be  my  full  excuse." 

It  was  a  poor  familiar  of  the  palace,  named 
Ghandur,  one  who  from  early  childhood  had  been 
Yusuf's  humble  shadow,  a  youth  so  simply  honest 
in  his  judgments  that  to  subtler  wits  they  wore  the 


40  VEILED  WOMEN 

look  of  imbecility.  But  yesterday  he  had  been  here 
as  usual,  sitting  in  the  entrance  on  the  watch  for 
Yfisuf.  To-day  he  had  been  absent,  but  without  dis- 
loyalty: he  had  been  sitting  in  the  entrance  of  the 
house  where  Yusuf  sojourned  temporarily. 

"  He  bade  me  run,  and  Allah  witness  I  have  done 
his  bidding.  I  am  thy  slave,  give  pardon,  O  my 
lord  the  Pasha !  " 

"  Salvation  be  upon  thee,  O  Ghandur.  What  let- 
ter, now,  is  this  of  which  thou  speakest?  Give!  " 

Reassured  by  the  kind  tone,  Ghandur  arose,  and 
smiling  with  a  flash  of  perfect  teeth,  produced  a  let- 
ter from  his  bosom,  touched  his  forehead  with  it,  then 
reverently  laid  it  in  the  Pasha's  outstretched  hand. 
It  ran: 

"  My  garden  of  delight  is  in  thy  custody.  The 
palpitations  of  my  heart  inform  me  danger  shadows 
it.  Alas!  the  grievous  power  of  jealousy,  which  can 
make  of  a  gazelle  a  tigress,  and  turn  a  mother's  love 
into  a  sword.  This  is  the  third  time  I  have  written 
to  thee,  yet  no  answer.  Say  that  thou  hast  taken 
measures  to  preserve  my  lovely  blossom  from  envious 
trampling  and  from  poisoned  water.  .  .  ." 

The  Pasha  crumpled  up  the  letter  and  stood 
wrapped  in  thought.  Coming  so  close  upon  his 
promise  to  the  English  girl  that  all  the  women  in 
the  house  would  love  and  cherish  her,  the  warning 
had  a  flavour  of  fatality.  He  recalled  the  lady  Fit- 


VEILED  WOMEN  41 

nah's  frowardness.  She  had  been  punished.  Who 
could  say  that  she  had  changed  her  mind?  And, 
with  the  Consul's  evil  eye  upon  the  house,  the  shame 
of  any  outbreak  would  be  doubled. 

"  .Run  to  my  son !  "  he  told  Ghandur.  "  Assure 
him  that  a  guard  is  kept,  none  safer,  under  Allah. 
Bid  his  soul  have  rest." 

Having  watched  the  youth  depart,  he  called  the 
eunuchs  and  ordered  them  to  guard  the  English  lady 
as  their  life.  Then  he  proceeded  to  the  kitchens  and 
there  gave  command  that  every  dish  and  drink  pre- 
pared for  the  table  of  the  governess  should  come  first 
to  him  that  he  might  taste  and  judge  its  quality. 
And  he  took  good  care  to  let  the  women  know  of  this 
precaution. 


CHAPTER    VI 

THE  women's  quarters  were  a  rambling  place,  with 
three  small  courtyards  all  on  different  levels,  tunnels, 
staircases  inside  and  out,  and  passages  which  ran 
in  all  directions.  Besides  the  ladies  Fitnah  and 
Murjanah  and  their  households,  a  widowed  sister  of 
the  Pasha,  and  a  former  slave  who  had  enjoyed  his 
favour,  kept  separate  state,  with  children  and  at- 
tendants. Freed  slaves  and  poor  relations,  recog- 
nised go-betweens  and  sycophants  came  in  and  out, 
and  slept  there  when  they  chose — a  privilege  extend- 
ing to  their  offspring.  Old  women  with  a  secret, 
knowing  look  edged  through  the  corridors;  untidy 
children  sprawled  upon  the  stairs ;  outside  the  door 
of  each  of  the  great  ladies  stood  rows  of  coloured 
slippers,  signifying  humble  callers.  The  place 
seemed  always  populous  and  full  of  noise.  In  a 
sense,  good  order  reigned  there ;  but  it  was  the  order 
of  a  township  rather  than  a  private  residence,  in- 
cluding all  degrees  of  cleanliness,  of  wealth  and 
squalor.  The  corps  of  eunuchs,  ten  in  all,  were  the 
police. 

This  little  world  of  women  had  its  liberties. 
From  the  third  hour  of  the  day  until  the  sunset  call 
to  prayer,  the  lord  of  the  harim  was  absent.  If  he 

42 


VEILED  WOMEN  4«S 

happened  to  return,  it  was  his  duty  to  announce  the 
fact  beforehand,  allowing  time  for  visitors  to  veil  and 
slip  away.  The  inmates  had  their  private  interests, 
their  games  and  jokes.  The  clash  of  tambourines, 
the  quick  soft  beat  of  darabukkahs  made  a  pulse  of 
glee.  They  all  seemed  happy  and  in  love  with  life, 
although  they  hardly  ever  saw  the  sun  or  breathed 
free  air;  for  when  they  drove  abroad  it  was  in  shut- 
tered carriages;  and  the  family  mausoleum,  where 
they  went  for  picnics,  was  a  second  palace  with  its 
own  haramlik. 

But  what  surprised  the  Englishwoman  more  than 
anything  was  the  charm  of  majesty  —  the  exquisite 
prestige  —  which  certain  of  these  Eastern  women 
radiated;  making  her  feel  small.  They  called  her 
"  Barakah  " ;  it  was  her  name  thenceforward,  and 
meant  a  Godsend,  so  the  courtly  Pasha  told  her. 
That  name  increased  her  awkwardness  at  first,  sound- 
ing sarcastic  from  the  lips  of  queenly  women. 

On  the  morning  after  she  had  written  her  indig- 
nant letter  to  the  Consul,  she  was  awakened  by  soft 
singing.  A  beautiful  and  stately  girl  sat  by  her  bed, 
who,  seeing  her  at  last  awake,  sprang  up  and  kissed 
her.  Murjanah  Khanum,  claiming  Yusuf's  bride  as 
her  own  guest  until  the  wedding,  had  sent  her  slave 
Gulbeyzah  to  attend  her  to  the  bath,  attire  her  in  a 
robe  of  honour  (which  was  shown),  and  then  escort 
her  to  Murjanah  Khanum's  rooms,  where  Barakah 
was  asked  to  breakfast  and  to  spend  the  day.  It 
was  useless  to  resist.  Gulbeyzah  knew  her  duties, 


44  VEILED  WOMEN 

and  performed  them  scrupulously.  By  the  time  they 
left  the  bathhouse,  Barakah  arrayed  in  gorgeous 
silk,  her  fingers  hennaed  and  her  eyes  enlarged  with 
kohl,  they  were  laughing  friends. 

Murjanah.  Khanum  took  the  Englishwoman  in  her 
arms  and  kissed  her;  then  sitting  down  beside  her, 
subjected  her  to  a  prolonged  inspection,  none  the  less 
embarrassing  for  being  tender. 

"  Ma  sh'Allah !  "  she  exclaimed,  and  added  some 
soft  words  in  Turkish,  looking  to  Gulbeyzah,  who 
translated : 

"  Madame  says  you  are  more  beautiful  than  she 
was  told.  Your  beauty  is  more  excellent  than  the 
rose.  Your  eyes  remind  her  of  the  Bosphorus.  You 
make  her  think  of  her  own  country.  The  desire 
which  you  inspire  is  like  home-sickness." 

Barakah  could  only  blush  and  hang  her  head  — 
a  posture  which  drew  down  fresh  compliments  upon 
her  modesty. 

Slaves  brought  in  trays  of  fruit  and  set  them  down, 
retiring  silently.  Then  an  old  negress  came  in  with 
a  brazier  and  made  coffee,  with  which  was  served  a 
kind  of  fritter  smeared  with  honey.  Then  a  young 
girl  appeared  with  ewer  and  basin  and  fine  towels, 
going  first  to  Barakah,  who  rinsed  her  hands.  Mur- 
janah and  Gulbeyzah,  she  saw  afterwards,  used  soap 
and  washed  their  teeth  as  well  —  a  cause  of  splutter- 
ing. 

Murjanah  Khanum  rolled  a  cigarette.  She 
lounged  at  ease  with  eyes  intent  on  Barakah,  and 


VEILED  WOMEN  45 

while  she  smoked,  gave  vent  to  her  reflections,  which 
Gulbeyzah  rendered  into  French  as  best  she  could. 

"  It  is  a  great  distress  to  me  not  to  be  able  to 
convey  my  loving  thoughts  directly  to  the  mind  of 
one  so  near.  Ask  the  dear  one  if  she  speaks  Romaic, 
or  a  little  Persian.  No?  A  pity!  She  is  learning 
Arabic?  In  sh' Allah,  she  will  soon  acquire  that 
tongue  and  Turkish  too.  .  .  . 

"  I  fear  she  must  feel  strange  and  lonely  in  a  life 
so  different:  I  wish  I  could  expound  its  beauty  to 
her.  Ask  her  whether  she  has  read  the  tragedies 
of  Sophocles,  an  ancient  Greek.  No?  That  sur- 
prises. I  had  thought  them  known  among  the 
Franks.  Say,  I  have  read  them  in  the  Turkish  ver- 
sion and  admired  them  greatly.  .  .  .  At  least,  she 
knows  that,  in  old  times,  before  the  prophets,  there 
were  priestesses  who  guarded  mysteries  of  the  false 
gods?  .  .  .  Well,  we  secluded  women  of  the  East 
are  the  guardians  of  the  mysteries  of  God  Most  High 
—  the  verities  of  life  and  death,  of  birth  and  growth 
and  of  decay  —  of  all  those  things  which  come  di- 
rectly from  the  hand  of  God.  These  are  the  sense 
of  life;  though  much  obscured  by  all  the  surface 
agitation  which  disturbs  the  life  of  men.  We,  in  our 
calm  retirement,  always  view  them.  .  .  . 

"  And  then,  when  one  regards  the  strife  of  tribes, 
the  tumults  and  rebellion  in  this  world,  is  it  not  well 
that  womanhood  should  be  kept  sacred  and  aloof, 
respected  in  the  strife  of  Muslims  —  the  ark  which 
bears  the  future  of  the  Faith?  .  .  .  Then,  even  as 


46  VEILED  WOMEN 

it  is,  much  crime  is  caused  by  love  and  jealousy. 
What  would  it  be  if  women  went  unveiled?  I  say 
not  in  her  land  where  men's  blood  may  be  more 
equable;  but  here.  .  .  .  Just  Allah!  Youth  would 
be  a  curse.  If  marriageable  girls  were  barefaced, 
what  could  preserve  them  from  atrocious  accidents? 
We  guard  their  youth  and  train  them  to  be  lovers, 
child-bearers;  we  send  forth  healthy  boys  to  serve 
the  Faith.  .  .  . 

"  Tell  her  that  I  myself,  by  Allah's  visitation,  have 
lost  all  my  children ;  yet,  thanks  to  El  Islam,  I  am 
not  desolate.  I  have  her  Yusuf  and  a  score  of  others 
for  delight." 

Hearing  these  words  translated  by  Gulbeyzah, 
Barakah  felt  abashed  to  insignificance.  The  habit 
of  confronting  the  brute  facts  of  life,  which  Europe- 
ans cover  over,  clothed  this  old  woman  in  a  tragic 
grandeur  which  was  almost  terrifying.  She  was  re- 
lieved when  other  ladies  came  and  talk  grew  shallow. 
Silks  and  fine  linen  fabrics  were  spread  out  before 
her.  Hearing  that  she  was  required  to  choose  among 
them  for  her  trousseau,  she  emplored  Gulbeyzah  with 
despairing  gestures  to  say  that  she  resigned  selection 
to  the  ladies.  The  answer  caused  relief.  The  ladies 
set  to  work  methodically,  feeling,  stroking,  compar- 
ing the  materials  in  the  best  light,  discoursing  all 
the  while  like  happy  birds.  Fitnah  Khanum  was 
less  forward  than  the  others  in  politeness,  and  kept 
her  face  averted  from  the  gaze  of  Barakah.  She 
took  her  leave  before  the  service  of  the  midday  meal. 


VEILED  WOMEN  47 

The  Pasha's  widowed  sister  begged  of  Barakah  to 
spend  the  following  day  with  her  in  her  apartments. 
Murjanah  was  approached  and  gave  consent. 

"  I  can  give  you  dinner  on  a  proper  table  with 
chairs  and  knives  and  forks,"  the  widow  said  in  broken 
French. 

Murjanah  Khanum's  tables  were  brass  trays  on 
little  stands,  and  everybody  ate  with  fingers  from 
the  dish. 

The  day  with  Leylah  Khanum  was  less  serious. 
The  widow's  talk  was  all  of  love  and  lovers.  A  per- 
fect host  of  go-betweens  was  kept  employed  to  find 
her  a  fresh  husband;  but,  though  ageing  fast,  she 
was  fastidious  and  asked  perfection. 

"  God  grant  she  may  not  die  a  widow,"  sighed 
Gulbeyzah,  who  explained  the  case  to  Barakah. 

Leylah  Khanum  was  much  exercised  to  know 
whether  Barakah  had  had  much  love-experience  in 
England.  Hearing  "  No,"  she  raised  her  hands  in 
marvel.  One  so  beautiful!  The  mistress  of  so  much 
charm!  And  unveiled  among  men!  She  asked  the 
reason. 

"  I  was  poor,"  said  Barakah. 

At  that  there  was  a  loud  outcry;  Leylah  Khanum 
and  Gulbeyzah  called  on  God  for  pity. 

"  But  you  are  beautiful !  Men  pay  for  beauty, 
need  no  bribe  with  it.  And  you  mean  to  say  they 
would  have  let  you  die  a  virgin  —  with  that  loveli- 
ness? O  Lord  of  Heaven!  What  a  wicked  waste! " 

Their   dread   of   dying   in   virginity   appealed   to 


48  VEILED  WOMEN 

Barakah  as  something  comical  when  she  remembered 
the  ideals  preached  in  Christendom. 

Leylah  Khanum  told  her  stories  of  true  love,  all  far 
from  proper  judged  by  English  taste;  and  shocked 
her  by  the  cool  assertion  that  poison  was  a  woman's 
natural  weapon.  In  the  afternoon  they  were  invited 
to  Murjanah  Khan  urn's  rooms,  where  the  business 
of  the  trousseau  still  proceeded.  It  went  on  for  days. 
Each  morning  when  she  woke,  the  bride-elect  found 
some  fresh  present  from  the  Pasha  in  her  room,  which 
Gulbeyzah  made  her  carry  forth  and  show  to  every 
one.  The  whole  haramlik  frolicked  round  her  in 
excitement. 

Gulbeyzah's  status  in  the  household  puzzled  her. 
The  Circassian  seemed  the  equal  of  the  ladies,  yet 
was  called  a  slave. 

She  said  to  her  one  day : 

"  You  are  as  white  as  I  am.  How  can  you  bear 
to  be  a  slave  like  Wardah  or  Fatumah?  " 

"  Not  like  Wardah  or  Fatumah,  if  you  please ! " 
was  the  superb  rejoinder.  "  They  or  their  fathers 
were  captured  in  a  warlike  raid  and  made  to  Islam, 
I,  God  be  praised,  was  born  in  the  Faith.  Look !  " 
she  cried,  and  with  a  splendid  gesture  bared  her 
bosom.  "  This  is  the  paste  of  which  they  make 
sultanas.  My  parents  sold  me  —  they  were  poor  — 
that  I  might  come  to  honour,  as  others  of  the  family 
have  done  before  me." 

"  But  what  chance  have  you  here  ?  Do  you  ex- 
pect to  captivate  the  Pasha  ?  " 


VEILED  WOMEN  49 

"  God  forbid !  I  never  even  see  him.  Here  I 
serve  the  sweetest  of  all  ladies,  who  will  one  day 
find  me  a  rich  husband.  It  is  a  famed  harim,  and 
my  lady  is  renowned  for  goodness  and  refinement. 
The  greatest  in  the  land  would  not  disdain  a  fair 
Circassian  girl  of  her  instructing." 

"  But  do  you  never  miss  your  freedom  ?  You  can 
form  no  projects,  being,  it  seems,  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  others.  Surely  your  thoughts  are  not  so 
ruly?  You  must  sometimes  dream?" 

Gulbeyzah  fixed  her  great  eyes  on  the  questioner 
as  though  debating  whether  she  were  to  be  trusted. 
Then,  with  a  smile,  she  grasped  her  hand  and 
whispered,  "  Come !  " 

She  led  the  English  girl  across  the  court  where 
grew  the  orange  trees,  down  a  foul-smelling  passage 
towards  the  kitchens,  and  up  a  flight  of  stairs  into 
a  corridor  which  served  the  chambers  of  the  humblest 
servants.  In  its  wall  was  a  recess  with  a  small  win- 
dow neither  barred  nor  latticed.  Here  Gulbeyzah 
stopped. 

The  reason  why  that  window  had  been  left  un- 
caged wag  plain,  since  it  looked  out  upon  blind  walls 
and  distant  housetops.  But  one  small  angle  of  a 
terraced  roof  appeared  within  clear  seeing  range,  and 
on  that  angle  sat  a  man.  When  Gulbeyzah  leaned 
her  elbows  on  the  window-sill,  he  sprang  to  his  feet 
a»d  made  despairing  gestures.  She  watched  his 
antics  for  a  moment,  then  drew  in  her  head. 

"  It  is  a  secret,  mind ! "  she  cautittoteO  Barakah. 


50  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  I  spent  an  afternoon  here  once,  when  I  was  sulky, 
and  he  was  walking  on  that  roof  by  chance.  Ever 
since  then  I  see  him  every  day.  He  always  sits 
there.  I  sign  to  him  to  climb  up,  but  I  know  he  can- 
not." She  laughed  scornfully.  "  I  make  romances 
in  my  mind  about  him.  It  is  evident  he  dies  of  love. 
He  has  grown  thinner." 

"  How  cruel!     How  can  you  torment  him  so?  " 

"  He  is  a  man,  you  understand.  One  does  not  feel 
compassion  as  one  would  for  girls.  Perhaps  if  he 
could  climb  up  here  I  should  reward  him,  but,  thanks 
to  God,  he  cannot,  poor  young  man !  " 

"  But  are  you  not  ashamed  to  think  such  thoughts 
—  you,  the  pupil  of  Murjanah  Khanum?  So  im- 
moral ! " 

"  It  is  my  fancy,  there !  Morality  is  not  our  busi- 
ness. We  are  strictly  guarded.  One  gets  a  con- 
science —  what  you  call  a  soul  —  when  one 
has  children.  How  droll  you  are !  You  talk  j  ust 
like  a  man.  God  knows  I  love  you,  and  should  like  to 
be  your  durrah."  (The  word  means  colleague  in  the 
married  state.) 

Gulbeyzah  flung  her  arms  round  Barakah.  A 
sound  of  footsteps  in  the  passage  made  them  turn 
and  peep. 

"  It  is  a  eunuch !  "  the  Circassian  whispered.  "  He 
has  been  there  all  the  time.  He  attends  you  like 
your  shadow,  have  you  noticed?  How  sweet  to  be  so 
precious;  and  so  respected,  for  he  keeps  his  dis- 
tance ! " 


VEILED  WOMEN  51 

Barakah  preferred  these  confidences  with  Gul- 
beyzah  to  the  endless  fuss  and  noise  about  the  trous- 
seau. The  hive  was  in  commotion  over  the  ap- 
proaching marriage ;  angry,  Gulbeyzah  told  her,  with 
the  Pasha  for  his  wish  to  shear  the  festival  of  ancient 
ceremonies  regarded  as  the  woman's  right.  When 
approached  upon  this  subject  in  a  crowded  conclave, 
she  said  that  she  was  anxious  to  conform  to  all  their 
customs  —  an  answer  which  was  hailed  with  cries  of 
triumph. 

Mrs.  Cameron  appeared  one  afternoon,  the  Con- 
sul's envoy,  to  ascertain  that  all  was  well  with  the 
perverted  girl.  She  was  shown  to  the  state  room,  and 
there  regaled  with  tea  in  glasses  and  sweet  biscuits, 
in  what  was  thought  to  be  the  English  manner.  The 
ladies  pestered  her  with  eager  questions,  persisting, 
despite  frank  denials,  in  regarding  her  as  a  near  and 
dear  relation  of  the  bride.  She  glanced  reproachfully 
at  Barakah  from  time  to  time.  "  You're  quite  at 
home  with  them,  I  see,"  she  said  at  parting.  "  It 
sounds  unkind,  but  I  must  say  I  wish  you  weren't. 
It  is  a  fall  for  any  woman  bred  as  you  were.  How 
can  you  put  that  kohl  round  your  eyes?  .  .  .  Good- 
bye, my  dear,  and  don't  forget  our  compact." 

The  visit  leaving  an  unpleasant,  sad  impression, 
Barakah  withdrew  to  her  own  room,  alleging  head- 
ache. She  was  lying  on  her  bed  with  eyes  half  closed, 
endeavouring  to  lay  the  ghost  of  former  days,  when 
some  one  entered  without  knocking,  shut  the  door 
with  care,  and  crept  towards  her.  It  was  a  strange 


52  VEILED  WOMEN 

old  woman.  She  sidled  up  with  much  grimacing; 
whispered  "  Yusuf ,"  laid  her  shrivelled  cheek  upon 
her  hand ;  "  Yusuf,"  again,  and  smacked  her  lips 
delectably ;  "  Yusuf  Bey,  thy  bridegroom,"  and  made 
the  motion  of  grimacing  with  ecstatic  grins. 

Barakah  grew  interested.  She  longed  to  see  the 
man  she  was  to  marry  and,  fresh  from  Mrs.  Cam- 
eron's reproach,  was  feeling  reckless.  She  tried  to 
question  the  old  woman,  but  without  result.  The 
crone  kept  nodding,  "  Yusuf  Bey "  and  "  Come." 
She  had  brought  with  her  a  habbarah  and  mouth-veil, 
which  Barakah  put  on  by  her  direction.  Then  they 
stole  forth,  the  temptress,  in  high  glee. 

But  they  had  not  made  ten  steps  in  the  hall  before 
two  eunuchs  pounced  on  them  and  stared  into  their 
eyes.  One  beat  the  hag,  whose  screams  were  fright- 
ful. The  other,  smiling,  dragged  back  Barakah, 
pushed  her  irside  her  room  and  locked  the  door. 

The  meaning  of  the  whole  adventure  remained 
dark  to  her.  Gulbeyzah,  when  informed  of  it,  de- 
clared that  the  old  woman  could  not  have  been  em- 
ployed by  Yusuf,  who  was  much  too  honourable  and 
obedient  to  his  father  to  indulge  in  such  low  games. 
She  ascribed  the  incident  to  machinations  of  the  lady 
Fitnah,  beheld  a  plot  to  lure  the  English  girl  to  some 
lone  place,  there  to  be  ravished  if  not  slain.  Bar- 
akah  laughed  at  such  wild  fancies.  That  Yusuf's 
mother  did  not  like  her  much  was  plain  to  see;  she 
had  doubtless  cherished  other  projects  for  her  first- 


VEILED  WOMEN  55 

born ;  but  to  impute  the  thought  of  crime  to  her  was 
too  absurd. 

"  I  bring  good  news,"  Gulbeyzah  said  to  change 
the  subject.  "  The  Pasha  has  granted  us  the  visit 
to  the  bath  with  you.  He  has  engaged  the  best 
musicians  and  some  famous  dancers,  and  all  the 
maidens  of  good  houses  are  to  be  invited.  Oh,  what 
joy!" 


CHAPTER    VII 

THE  party  at  the  bath  with  all  its  ritual  was  one  of 
the  ordeals  which  Muhammad  Pasha  had  wished  to 
spare  the  English  girl.  As  a  man  he  hated  all  the 
pranks  that  women  play  alone,  and  deemed  them  of 
necessity  immodest.  But  the  feeling  roused  in  the 
harim  was  too  intense  for  him ;  and  as  Barakah,  he 
was  told,  herself  desired  the  entertainment,  he  could 
adduce  no  cogent  reason  for  refusal.  The  place  in 
the  haramlik  being  ill  adapted  to  a  large  assembly, 
he  hired  the  finest  of  the  public  baths  for  the  occasion. 
The  dependants  of  the  household  clamouring  for  a 
procession  through  the  streets,  he  gave  them  one, 
putting  in  place  of  Barakah  a  humbler  bride  whose 
nuptials  would  be  celebrated  at  his  cost. 

About  the  first  hour  after  noon,  the  bride  of  Yusuf 
left  the  house,  sped  by  the  ululations  of  the  whole 
harim.  In  a  carriage  with  the  Pasha's  nieces  and 
Gulbeyzah,  she  was  driven  through  the  streets  to  the 
Hammam.  There,  at  the  entrance,  stood  two  eu- 
nuchs, and  in  the  ante-chamber  many  women-servants 
of  the  Pasha's  house.  The  ladies  on  arrival  were 
conducted  to  a  second  ante-room  and  there  divested 
of  all  clothing.  Each  put  on  a  pair  of  clogs  and  had 
her  hair  tied  up  in  an  embroidered  kerchief.  While 

54 


VEILED  WOMEN  £fi 

they  were  disrobing,  other  veiled  ones  entered  who 
laughed  heartily  at  Barakah's  confusion.  The  pro- 
cession of  the  humbler  bride  had  arrived  some  minutes 
since,  they  were  informed. 

The  elder  of  the  Pasha's  nieces  and  Gulbeyzah  took 
each  a  hand  of  Barakah  and  led  her  on  from  room 
to  room,  pausing  in  each  to  get  accustomed  to  the 
growing  warmth.  Suddenly  they  came  upon  a  noisy 
crowd.  Two  shiny  negresses  sprang  forth  and  sin- 
gling out  the  bride,  lifted  her  up  and  bore  her  to  a 
corner  of  the  hall  beneath  a  tap.  They  flung  her  on 
her  back.  Seeing  a  razor  flash,  she  uttered  shriek 
on  shriek  the  while  they  fell  to  rubbing,  making  her 
joints  crack  kneading  her  very  bones  with  their  hard 
fingers.  With  eyes  half  blind  with  soapsuds,  she 
beheld  a  wreath  of  naked  figures  moving  round  her  in 
a  kind  of  dance.  The  wall  and  vaulted  ceiling  of 
the  building  sweated.  The  windows  were  high  up 
and  gave  no  light;  there  entered  not  a  whiff  of  outer 
air.  A  pulse  beat  at  her  temples.  She  felt  suffo- 
cated. 

At  last  the  women  stopped  their  rubbing,  and  by 
playful  slaps  informed  her  that  her  turn  was  ended. 
Like  a  sheep  from  the  shearing  she  rose  up,  stagger- 
ing intent  to  flee.  But  she  was  caught  again  and 
made  to  sit  down  while  her  hair  was  plaited.  Then 
some  one  —  it  was  Gulbeyzah  —  grasped  her  hand 
and  led  her  to  the  outer  end  of  the  great  hall,  where 
were  two  tanks  of  water  gently  steaming.  The  hall 
presented  a  strange  spectacle,  for  it  was  full  of  naked 


56  VEILED  WOMEN 

figures,  ebon  and  mouse-brown,  amber  and  snow- 
white.  Singers,  all  naked,  sat  beside  one  wall,  and 
hummed  and  droned  and  shrilled  distractingly. 

At  a  call,  "  The  bride ! "  the  whole  crowd  rushed 
on  Barakah  with  ululations.  Her  shame  became 
acute,  an  agony.  Gulbeyzah  led  her  up  to  one  of  the 
tanks.  Some  one  behind  administered  a  push,  and 
she  fell  in ;  when  some  one  else  sprawled  in  upon  the 
top  of  her.  Her  head  was  under  water  for  some 
seconds.  Spluttering,  indignant,  her  throat  choked 
with  sobs,  she  found  herself  among  a  group  of  laugh- 
ing girls,  all  colours,  who  were  ducking  one  another 
as  they  splashed  about.  Gulbeyzah  cried,  "  The 
butterflies !  Look !  Look !  "  and  pointed  to  the 
smooth  stone  marge,  where  all  the  ripples  in  the  light 
of  smoky  cressets  were  reflected  like  a  thousand 
fluttering  moths.  The  stir  subsiding  when  all  stopped 
to  look,  the  moths  united  into  one  great  butterfly, 
dimly  perceived,  whose  wings  beat  faint  and  fainter 
as  the  water  stilled. 

"  She  has  eaten  them  all !  Behold,  how  fat  she 
is ! "  cried  out  Gulbeyzah.  "  I  believe  she  is  just 
going  to  have  some  others.  Look  1 "  She  plunged, 
and  made  fresh  ripples.  Laughter  hailed  this  sally. 
A  brown  girl,  lissom  as  a  snake,  sprang  hard  on  the 
facetious  one  and  promptly  ducked  her. 

Angry,  humiliated,  feeling  lost  eternally,  Barakah 
scrambled  out  to  face  a  row  of  grinning,  dancing 
hags.  They  and  the  shameless  girls,  the  fiendish 
music,  the  sweating  walls,  the  fumes  of  incense  hiding 


VEILED  WOMEN  57 

the  high  roof,  combined  to  make  her  fancy  she  was 
underneath  the  earth  assisting  at  an  orgy  of  malig- 
nant jinn. 

Some  one  smote  her  from  behind.  She  turned 
round  angrily.  A  fair-haired  girl  was  running. 
She  ran  after  her.  Another  struck  her  lightly  as  she 
ran.  She  turned  again.  A  third  sprang  on  her, 
pinioned  both  her  arms  and  kissed  her  on  the  mouth, 
amid  applause.  Then  first  she  realised  that  it  was  all 
a  game;  the  girls  were  friendly.  In  the  magnitude 
of  her  relief,  her  shyness  vanished.  She  soon  led  the 
romp.  It  was  one  long  dancing  game  of  follow-my- 
leader,  varied  with  moods  of  hide-and-seek  and  leap- 
frog. All  the  while  the  musicians  kept  up  their  wild 
din,  the  hired  dancers  never  ceased  their  weird  con- 
tortions. 

Afterwards,  when  they  were  all  rubbed  down  and 
clothed  again,  there  was  a  feast  of  most  delicious 
dainties  in  the  ante-rooms,  and  Barakah  was  intro- 
duced to  her  late  playfellows,  transformed  as  if  by 
magic  to  polite  young  ladies.  Every  one  of  them,  she 
found,  had  brought  a  present  for  her.  She  chattered 
merrily  in  French,  and  ate  and  drank  with  appetite 
unknown  before.  Driving  home  in  the  carriage  with 
three  delicately  perfumed  maidens,  whose  soft  hands 
caressed  her,  she  experienced  a  blissful  languor,  like 
thanksgiving. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

MEANWHILE  the  anguish  of  the  lady  Fitnah  had  be- 
come unbearable.  The  beating  she  had  received, 
which  kept  her  silent,  was  only  part  of  the  injustice 
which  prevailed  against  her.  She  alone,  she  had  as- 
surance, was  vouchsafed  clear  vision  of  the  horror 
of  this  marriage;  all  the  rest  were  drugged  and 
blinded  by  the  creature's  spells.  She  had  heard  of 
Franldsh  women,  who  were  barren,  holding  men  en- 
tranced for  life,  thus  ending  families ;  and  had  no 
doubt  at  all  but  this  was  one  of  them.  A  woman  of 
volcanic  passions,  always  righteous,  for  her  to  look 
on  evil  was  to  seek  to  slay  it. 

She  said,  "  The  fiend  will  suck  my  Yusuf's  life  out 
and  then  vanish." 

Her  group  of  flatterers  replied: 

"  Alas,  yes !  She  will  suck  him  as  one  sucks  an 
orange,  and  go  her  way  refreshed,"  giving  the  sad 
mother  a  distracting  picture  of  her  first-born  as  an 
empty  orange-skin  flung  in  the  gutter  among  other 
refuse. 

She  cried,  "  By  Allah !  she  shall  die !  " 

The  sycophants  replied,  "  Yes,  by  thy  blessed 
womb,  she  shall  —  an  awful  death,"  and  began  to 
meditate  the  form  that  death  should  take. 

68 


VEILED  WOMEN  59 

"  But  she  has  islamed,"  one  objected. 

"  Who  knows  if  she  has  really  islamed  ?  "  was  the 
answer.  "  Our  lord  the  Pasha  is  bewitched.  He  has 
forgone  in  her  case  every  ordeal  that  might  test  her 
faith.  It  is  ascertained  that  she  is  barren  and  will 
drink  the  bridegroom's  life.  Woe !  Woe !  The  end 
of  a  most  noble  race !  " 

Inspired  by  hatred  of  iniquity,  fanned  and  en- 
couraged by  her  little  court,  the  anguished  mother 
had  made  sure  arrangements  for  the  English  girl's 
dishonour,  thinking  no  crime  to  vilify  so  bad  a  thing. 
The  scheme,  alas !  had  been  frustrated  by  the  eu- 
nuchs ;  whose  vigilance  redoubled  the  poor  lady's 
grief.  What  dreadful  magic  must  reside  in  that  foul 
creature  to  make  the  Pasha  guard  her  like  a  pearl? 
to  make  poor  Yiisuf  cling  to  her  and  shun  his  mother  ? 
Her  cronies  recommended  her  to  summon  negresses, 
of  those  who  have  familiar  intercourse  with  demons, 
and  hold  the  mystic  ceremony  called  a  zar  —  the 
latest  novelty.  But  Fitnah  Khanum  feared  the 
Pasha,  who  denounced  such  consolations  as  against 
religion.  She  was  in  despair.  The  hours  flew  by 
towards  the  wedding;  and  she,  perceiving  all  its  hor- 
ror, had  no  power  to  stop  it. 

On  the  very  morning  of  the  day  appointed  for  the 
final  ceremonies,  she  received  two  visitors,  not  in  her 
own  room,  but  in  a  dirty  closet  used  for  rubbish. 
The  first  to  enter  was  the  same  old  woman  who  had 
lured  Barakah  from  her  chamber  with  the  name  of 
Yusuf.  The  second,  throwing  off  the  veil,  revealed 


60  VEILED  WOMEN 

a  goatish  face  with  pointed  ears  beneath  a  foul  white 
skull-cap.  It  was  Abu  Sumum,  the  most  renowned 
of  sorcerers. 

He  spread  out  his  hands  and  chanted : 

"  In  the  name  of  Allah,  Er  Rahman,  Er  Rahhn, 
Who  taught  the  words  of  might  to  Suleyman  el  Hakim, 
And  gave  the  seal  of  power  into  his  hand, 
Lo,  here  I  stand, 

Abu  Sumum,  your  humble  servant  to  command! 
Would  you  love-potions,  I  can  give  you  those 
Will  bring  the  loved  one  to  your  feet  though  walls  oppose 
And  all  the  doors  be  guarded  by  his  foes. 
Or  have  you  enemies,  but  name  their  names 
And  I  will  torture  them  with  hellish  flames. 
Wouldst  thou  their  death?     I'll  write  a  potent  spell 
Upon  an  ass's  thighbone,  hide  it  well 
Beneath  the  threshold  where  they  dwell. 
Wouldst  thou  their  madness?     I  will  tie  their  mind 
To  some  low  creature  of  a  restless  kind, 
A  bird  or  fish,  that  when  it  moves  they  rage, 
And  when  it  rests  their  fury  they  assuage; 
And  none  shall  know  the  secret  saving  I, 
So  that  for  lack  of  remedy  they  die. 
Abu  Sumum  the  wily  one  I  am, 
State  but  your  need  of  me  and  so  —  Salam ! " 

Having  concluded  this  doggerel,  setting  forth  his 
stock-in-trade,  the  wizard  stood  with  arms  crossed, 
grinning  widely. 

"  I  have  an  enemy,"  faltered  the  lady,  "  and  she 
is  dreadful,  being  a  ginniyeh,  and  no  child  of  Adam." 

"  Think  not  to  instruct  me,"  said  the  warlock. 
"  Nothing  uncanny  comes  to  Masr,  but  my  hosts  of 
servants  who  are  in  the  air  inform  me  instantly. 


VEILED  WOMEN  61 

Ah,  if  it  is  the  Englishwoman  thou  opposest,  have 
a  care,  for  she  is  full  of  art,  having  attained  the  secret 
of  invisibility,  of  self-protection,  and  also  of  trans- 
forming people  into  dogs.  Now,  what,  I  ask,  dost 
thou  require  of  me  exactly  —  a  potion  that  shall 
make  her  love  thee,  or  her  madness,  or  a  wasting  ill- 
ness ?  " 

"  Nothing,  nothing,  save  her  instant  death,"  sobbed 
Fitnah  — "  the  wedding  is  to-day  —  and  then  take 
all  my  wealth." 

"  By  thy  leave,  lady,"  cried  the  wizard,  much 
offended,  "  I  am  not  him  thou  seekest !  Send  for  an 
assassin  1  My  business  is  with  art  and  not  brutal- 
ity. Find  out  some  chopper-up  of  wood:  I  am  a 
carver ! " 

"  But  I  know  of  no  assassin !  How  can  we  women 
find  and  bring  one  hither?  O  Abu  Sumum,  be  gen- 
erous, for  Allah's  love !  " 

"  Hear  the  excellent  lady,  the  very  mother  of  kind- 
ness! Hear  her,  O  Abu  Sumum!  Behold  her  suf- 
ferings !  Grant  her  petition,  for  the  love  of  Allah, 
and  our  Lord  reward  thee !  "  pleaded  the  old  woman 
who  had  brought  him  in. 

"  I  know  not.  It  is  not  my  line  of  business.  And 
yet,  I  bethink  me,  there  is  art  in  it,"  muttered  the 
sorcerer,  relenting  visibly  — "  much  art,  for  she  is 
the  most  skilful  witch  on  earth;  and  no  one  else  in 
Masr,  under  Allah,  could  hope  to  overcome  her  — 
Ha !  What  is  this  ?  "  He  raised  his  hand  to  his 
right  ear,  and  stood  intently  listening,  as  if  to  some- 


62  VEILED  WOMEN 

thing  just  above  him  in  the  air.  "  I  thank  thee,  O 
Tarshushak !  —  What  is  this?"  He  turned  to 
Fitnah  with  a  mien  of  righteous  anger.  "  My  serv- 
ants tells  me  she  has  islamed.  Is  that  true?  If  so, 
why  not  inform  me  at  the  first?  My  time  is  wasted. 
If  she  has  islamed  it  is  a  crime  most  heinous  to  assail 
her.  May  Allah  — " 

"  Mercy !  O  my  uncle,  mercy !  "  Both  the  women 
flung  themselves  upon  the  wizard,  stopping  his  mouth 
and  dragging  down  his  arm  upraised  to  curse  them. 
*'  Wait  but  a  moment !  Only  listen !  They  say  that 
she  has  islamed,  being  all  bewitched.  She  has  not 
gone  through  all  the  ceremonies.  She  refuses,  and 
our  lord  the  Pasha,  by  her  spells,  supports  her. 
Whether  or  no,  she  weds  to-day  my  first-born  son, 
and  she  is  barren  and  will  keep  him  from  all  other 
women.  Thou  shalt  have  much  wealth." 

Again  the  sorcerer  went  through  the  process  of 
relenting  visibly.  "  Allah  knows,"  he  groaned,  "  it 
is  a  cruel  task  you  set  me.  It  will  take  three  days 
and  nights  of  fasting  and  seclusion  spent  in  ceaseless 
study,  to  overcome  her  servants  who  are  in  the  air. 
Not  until  they  are  vanquished  can  I  mix  the  potion, 
for  they  would  neutralise  my  spells  and  make  it 
harmless. " 

"  But  the  wedding  is  to-day !  "  wailed  Fitnah,  out 
of  patience. 

"  What  matter,  since  her  bale  is  of  the  lingering 
sort,  and  not  swift-slaying.  Hear  what  I  tell  thee ! 
If  I  fight  for  thee  with  demons  and  obtain  the  potion, 


VEILED  WOMEN  63 

use  it  not  till  three  whole  moons  have  waxed  and 
waned.  Watch  how  thy  son  looks ;  notice  his  be- 
haviour! It  may  be  she  has  islamed  in  good  faith." 

"  All  that  thou  wishest,  only  give  the  potion !  " 

"  After  three  days  thou  shalt  have  it,  by  the  leave 
of  Allah!" 

The  sorcerer  then  changed  his  tone  for  one  of 
caution,  urging,  "  The  reward,  O  blessed  lady !  It  is 
worth  much  money.  And  it  is  usual  to  give  some- 
thing in  advance  by  way  of  earnest." 

Fitnah  untied  a  bundle  which  had  lain  beside  her 
all  the  while,  and  thrust  it  towards  him.  It  contained 
the  best  of  all  her  jewels.  Poor  lady,  all  her  treasures 

—  nay,  her  life  itself  —  seemed  light  to  give  to  save 
her  Yusuf  from  that  thirsty  ghoul.     The  wizard's 
small  eyes  gloated  on  the  heap. 

"  Woe  on  thee,  Abu  Sumum !  "  cried  the  old  woman. 
"  Art  thou  not  ashamed  to  take  more  than  is  just 
from  so  benevolent  and  kind  a  lady  ?  Thy  heart  is  of 
stone,  not  to  be  moved  to  bounty  by  her  pious  tears." 

"  Silence,  woman !  "  With  a  dignified  and  boun- 
teous gesture,  the  sorcerer  pushed  back  the  bag  of 
trinkets,  selecting  for  himself  a  single  ring  contain- 
ing stones  of  value.  "  Allah  witness,  that  I  did  but 
test  the  generosity  of  our  good  mistress.  But,  being 
poor  and  with  some  dreadful  work  before  me  —  hav- 
ing, moreover,  risked  my  two  old  ears  in  coming  hither 

—  I  will,  with  thy  permission,  O  Most  Excellent,  ac- 
cept this  trifle.     That  and  thy  gracious  favour  be  my 
only  payment ! " 


64  VEILED  WOMEN 

Uprising,  he  resumed  again  the  woman's  head- 
dress, and  in  a  woman's  piping  voice  enjoined,  as  he 
prepared  to  go,  "  Forget  not  to  delay  three  months. 
A  day  too  soon  might  cause  tremendous  evil." 

"  Three  months  —  I  will  remember !  "  answered 
Fitnah  dutifully;  adding  beneath  her  breath, 
"  Three  days  —  too  long !  I  think  thou  hast  a  mind 
to  fool  me,  O  thou  father  of  three  months !  Well, 
bring  thy  potion.  But  first  we  will  essay  some  com- 
mon poison  without  ceremony.  Alas  for  Yusuf  did 
we  wait  three  months  !  " 

She  pressed  both  hands  to  her  left  side  as  if  it 
pained  her. 


CHAPTER    IX 

THE  Englishwoman  had  surrendered  to  the  impor- 
tunities of  all  the  household,  and  submitted  to  be 
dressed  entirely  as  an  Eastern  bride.  Her  feet  and 
hands  had  been  well  dyed  with  henna  overnight;  her 
hair  was  intricately  plaited,  smeared  with  ointment 
smelling  strong  of  ambergris  and  sprinkled  with  gold 
dust  until  it  made  a  close  and  shining  covering;  her 
lips  and  cheeks  were  painted,  and  her  eyes  enlarged 
with  kohl.  Then  came  the  putting  on  of  splendid 
clothes  amid  a  din  of  chatter,  above  which  strains  of 
music  could  be  heard,  wafted  by  gusts  from  the 
selamlik,  where  festivity  had  reigned  for  two  days 
past.  A  jewelled  crown  completing  her  apparel,  she 
was  led  with  joy-cries  to  the  great  reception-room, 
and  there  enthroned  upon  the  dais.  The  room  was 
fairly  full  of  visitors  already,  and  every  minute  there 
were  fresh  arrivals. 

Early  that  morning,  Gulbeyzah  had  shown  Bara- 
kah  her  future  lodging  —  five  rooms  within  the 
woman's  portion  of  the  house,  but  self-contained,  and 
with  a  private  door  to  the  selamlik.  She  had  beheld 
a  salon  hung  with  mirrors,  full  of  gilded  chairs  and 
tables;  and  then  the  nuptial  chamber,  the  bed  with 
silken  bedclothes,  much  too  good  to  use,  beneath  a 

65 


66  VEILED  WOMEN 

canopy  of  cloth-of-gold  embroidered.  Four  mon- 
strous candles  placed  around  the  bed  looked  cere- 
monial, and  the  perfume  of  rare  flowers  reminded  her 
of  English  death-rooms. 

The  vision  of  that  room  oppressed  her  now  as  she 
sat  idle,  feeling  like  a  wooden  image,  and  met  the 
criticising  stare  of  strangers  who  perfunctorily 
blessed  her.  At  first  Gulbeyzah  stayed  with  her  and 
played  interpreter.  Murjanah  Khanum  came  and 
kissed  her,  praying :  "  May  the  crown  upon  thy 
brow  inure  thee  to  the  burden  of  responsibility,  may 
the  rich  robes  and  the  throne  foreshadow  honour  for 
thee;  may  the  ordeal  of  long  stillness  teach  thee 
patience  and  long-suffering  with  dignity.  May  all 
our  blessings  and  our  prayers  to-day  secure  thee 
fruitfulness,  and  mayst  thou  live  to  see  thy  children's 
children  flourish  round  thee.  Our  Lord  preserve  thee 
ever  in  His  grace.  Amin." 

Apart  from  this  soft  murmur  of  the  Turkish  lady, 
she  discerned  no  hint  of  a  religious  feeling  with  re- 
gard to  marriage.  After  an  hour  Gulbeyzah  mingled 
with  the  throng  of  visitors,  and  Barakah  was  left 
alone  to  face  the  curiosity,  the  unknown  talk  about 
her.  Every  one  of  all  these  women  used  strong  scent, 
and  the  smoke  of  divers  kinds  of  incense  dimmed  the 
air.  The  bride  herself  was  saturated  with  per- 
fumery ;  which,  however,  could  not  drown  the  odour  of 
her  own  new  garments.  This  grew  sickening.  Her 
brain  swam.  She  was  stuck  there  like  a  painted  doll 
to  be  appraised,  inspected. 


VEILED  WOMEN  67 

Anon  the  crowd  was  drawn  away  from  her.  She 
sat  unnoticed.  A  group  of  female  musicians  had 
arrived,  with  them  a  well-known  singer.  There  en- 
sued a  frightful  caterwauling,  as  it  seemed  to  Bara- 
kah,  but  the  rest  were  charmed,  to  judge  from  their 
enraptured  "  Ah's !  "  and  ravished  gestures. 

Then  a  brown  girl,  clad  diaphanously,  writhed  a 
dance  of  lewd  suggestion,  ogling  the  bride  the  while 
maliciously.  Her  performance  was  applauded  even 
by  Murjanah  Khanum.  Gulbeyzah  flew  up  to  the 
bride  and  whispered :  "  We  are  in  great  luck ! 
Tahir,  the  greatest  singer  in  the  world,  has  been  per- 
forming for  the  bridegroom's  friends  in  the  selamlik. 
He  is  coming  here  to  sing  to  us,  behind  that  screen. 
Look!  Those  are  his  children."  A  small  boy  and 
girl  had  stolen  shyly  in,  and  were  made  much  of, 
being  passed  from  hand  to  hand.  Gulbeyzah  ran  off 
to  convey  the  news  to  other  rooms. 

Another  minute  and  dead  silence  fell.  All  watched 
the  screen.  Up  leapt  an  eerie  note,  sustained  till  it 
became  a  terror  to  the  ear,  when  all  at  once  it  broke 
into  a  shower  of  trills  like  impish  laughter.  This 
was  repeated  thrice,  and  then  the  singer  struck  a 
solemn  and  majestic  measure  —  a  religious  strain, 
which  his  strange  voice  embroidered  with  all  human 
passions  in  their  natural  tones.  Barakah  forgot  her 
weariness.  This  singing  was  like  nothing  she  had 
ever  heard.  It  seemed  to  dignify  all  life  with  a 
tremendous  meaning.  All  unawares  she  joined  the 
gusty  sigh  which  swept  the  whole  assembly  when  the 


68  VEILED  WOMEN 

last  note  died.  There  followed  a  quick  panting 
melody  of  lover's  sighs,  more  like  a  bird's  song  than 
the  effort  of  a  human  voice;  then  came  a  wail  of 
more  than  human  anguish,  and  then  the  singing 
ceased  quite  unexpectedly.  There  was  a  storm  of 
moans  and  prayers  for  more,  but  Tahir,  the  great 
singer,  had  already  gone. 

Barakah  became  once  more  aware  of  stiffness,  head- 
ache, and  a  burning  mouth.  She  called  to  Hamdi, 
Yusuf's  little  brother,  one  of  her  former  pupils,  to 
bring  water  to  her.  He  ran  off  at  once,  but  brought, 
instead  of  water,  cloying  sherbet  which  increased  her 
thirst.  Her  eyelids  were  so  stiffened  they  would 
hardly  close;  her  eyeballs  ached;  the  stiffness  of  the 
paint  upon  her  cheeks  became  an  iron  mask.  She 
felt  pilloried,  derided,  miserably  alone,  when  lo !  a 
small  soft  hand  touched  hers  confidingly.  It  was  the 
singer's  little  daughter,  who,  grown  tired  of  sweets 
and  petting,  had  come  to  the  one  lonely  person  in  the 
room,  the  quiet  place.  She  looked  up  in  the  face 
of  Barakah  and  smiled.  Her  brother,  a  still  smaller 
child,  had  followed  her.  They  both  sat  down  without 
the  slightest  ceremony,  and  with  their  heads  against 
her  knees,  their  hands  in  hers,  fell  fast  asleep.  This 
little  group,  when  it  was  noticed,  caused  much  laugh- 
ter and  a  shout:  "Mabrukah!"  (lucky).  The 
bride,  a  statue  of  endurance,  paid  no  heed. 

At  last  a  great  noise  came  from  the  selamlik.  A 
eunuch  rushed  to  say  that  the  procession  of  the  bride- 
groom to  the  mosque  had  just  returned.  At  once, 


VEILED  WOMEN  69 

a  heavy  veil,  precluding  sight,  was  flung  on  Barakah. 
The  bride's  train  formed.  With  tapers  and  with 
garlands,  amid  joy-cries,  she  was  led  to  her  own 
gilded  salon,  and  there  left  alone.  In  the  same  in- 
stant, so  it  seemed  to  her,  the  bridegroom  came.  Her 
veil  was  lifted.  She  felt  like  to  die.  She  dared  not 
raise  her  eyes  for  fear  of  weeping.  The  ritual  words 
she  had  been  schooled  to  say  escaped  her  memory. 
But,  as  luck  befell,  they  were  unneeded. 

"Grand  Dieu!"  cried  Yusuf  Bey.  "The  fools 
—  the  miscreants  have  made  you  look  like  one  of 
them.  Your  face  —  your  hair !  Ah,  mon  amour ! 
Ma  colombe !  " 

She  was  obliged  to  laugh,  and  the  nice-looking, 
eager  youth  laughed  with  her.  Fatigue  and  head- 
ache fell  off  from  her  like  a  garment. 

On  the  next  afternoon,  when  Barakah,  at  peace 
with  all  the  world,  was  sitting  in  her  gilded  parlour, 
on  the  cushioned  window-sill,  peeping  through  the 
lattice  at  red  masts  and  flags,  the  decorations  for  her 
wedding  not  yet  taken  down,  it  happened  that  she 
called  for  water.  That  cry  resounded  through  the 
whole  haramlik  in  the  hours  of  heat,  and  slaves  with 
pitchers  waited  always  ready  to  obey  it.  The  girl 
who  answered  brought  a  vase  of  amber  fluid,  which 
she  proclaimed  the  most  delicious  sherbet  known  to 
woman.  The  lady  Fitnah  had  herself  prepared  it 
for  the  bride's  delight.  Barakah  took  one  sip,  dis- 
liked the  taste,  and,  only  waiting  for  politeness  till 
the  maid  had  gone,  poured  out  the  rest  upon  a  plant 


70  VEILED  WOMEN 

of  jasmine  in  a  flower-pot  which  stood  upon  a  shelf 
within  the  lattice.  A  little  later  she  was  very  sick, 
and  went  and  laid  down  on  her  bed.  She  was  feeling 
better  when  her  husband  was  announced. 

"  Yusuf ! "  she  cried,  as  he  came  in,  "  it  is  so 
curious.  Madame  your  mother  sent  me  up  some 
special  sherbet.  I  tasted  it,  and  found  it  disagree- 
able, so  I  emptied  all  the  rest  upon  the  plant  there. 
Then  I  felt  so  ill—" 

She  got  no  further.  Yusuf,  following  the  direc- 
tion of  her  gesture,  had  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  flower- 
pot. They  were  riveted.  The  plant  was  dead,  a 
shrivelled,  blackened  object.  With  one  despairing 
cry  he  clutched  his  forehead  and  rushed  headlong 
from  the  room. 


CHAPTER    X 

"  O  WRETCHED  day !  O  death  of  honour !  O  ca- 
lamity !  Didst  thou  not  swear  to  guard  my  love  from 
danger,  O  my  father?  Yet  death  has  reached  her  — 
poison !  This  house  is  now  gehennum.  Woe  to  all 
of  us.  O  Allah,  ease  the  sorrow  of  my  heart.  O 
Lord,  behold  me  rent  in  twain  —  My  wife !  My 
mother!" 

Yusuf  had  burst  into  the  room  of  the  selamlik 
where  his  father  was  transacting  business  with 
the  steward  of  his  property.  Regardless  of  the 
stranger's  presence,  he  gave  way  to  grief  and  rage, 
falling  prostrate  on  the  pavement,  tearing  at  it  with 
his  hands,  and  biting  at  it  with  his  teeth  convulsively. 
The  steward,  a  person  of  discretion,  rose  at  once  and 
asked  permission  to  retire.  The  Pasha  nodded,  and, 
when  he  was  gone,  bent  over  his  demented  child,  in- 
quiring of  his  cause  of  grief  with  heart  near  broken, 
for  he  feared  the  worst  had  happened.  By  dint  of 
patience  he  elicited  the  simple  facts,  which,  when  he 
knew  them,  eased  his  mind  so  greatly  that  he  smiled 
and  rendered  fervent  thanks  to  the  Most  High.  The 
Englishwoman  was  not  dead;  the  poisonous  attempt 
had  failed;  the  vision  of  an  angry  Consul,  void  of 
decency,  transgressing  with  investigations  every 

71 


72  VEILED  WOMEN 

man's  intrinsic  right  to  sole  and  secret  jurisdiction  in 
his  own  harira,  raising  a  scandal  far  more  dreadful 
than  the  sad  event,  receded  suddenly. 

"  Be  not  distressed,  my  son !  "  he  urged  benignly. 
"  Praise  God,  as  I  do,  that  the  matter  is  no  worse. 
Think!  a  mere  plant  of  jasmine  dead  in  place  of  her 
thou  lovest.  The  call  is  for  rejoicing,  not  for  grief. 
Have  patience,  O  my  soul !  Control  thy  spirits  !  " 

"  Have  patience,  sayest  thou  ?  "  sobbed  Yusuf . 
"  My  anguish  is  more  terrible  than  flesh  can  bear. 
My  mother,  she  who  bore  me,  whom  I  love  by  nature, 
has  turned  my  enemy,  to  poison  her  by  whom  alone  I 
live.  I  hate  the  murderess  of  my  delight,  and  would 
destroy  her ;  but  lo !  she  is  my  mother,  and  I  can  but 
weep.  My  soul  is  torn  asunder.  All  the  world  is 
blackened.  O  Allah,  take  my  life !  O  Lord,  protect 
me!" 

Muhammad  Pasha  was  profoundly  moved  by  this 
lament.  He  thanked  God  for  vouchsafing  him  a  son 
who,  in  the  moment  of  extreme  affliction,  could  still 
preserve  such  justice  in  his  sentiments. 

"  Take  comfort,  O  my  son !  Be  thankful  that  no 
harm  has  happened,"  he  insisted  tenderly. 

But  Yusuf  would  not  be  consoled.  The  soothing 
tone  enraged  him,  seeming  to  make  a  trifle  of  his 
agony.  He  leaped  upon  his  feet  and  cried: 

"  No  harm !  O  Allah !  Is  it  nought  then,  what  I 
tell  thee?  Then  thou  hast  no  love  for  me.  Thou 
art  my  father;  thou  didst  promise  to  preserve  her 
from  my  mother's  malice.  Thou  seest  my  despair, 


VEILED  WOMEN  73 

and  yet  thou  smilest.  O  Allah,  kill  me  now,  for  I 
am  orphaned  cruelly.  Both  my  parents  hate  me,  and 
deride  my  sufferings.  I  go  to  my  mother  Murjanah, 
who  is  kind  and  gracious.  She  will  weep  with  me." 

And  before  the  older  man  could  grasp  his  purpose, 
much  less  intervene,  that  victim  of  a  duteous  heart 
had  fled  the  room.  After  a  space  of  thought  the 
Pasha  followed  to  Murjanah  Khanum's  quarters, 
where  he  found  the  young  man  writhing  on  a  bed 
of  cushions,  while  his  second  mother  wept  with  him 
and  prayed. 

"  Listen,  O  Yusuf,  O  my  son ! "  began  the  father 
earnestly.  "  I  have  been  thinking.  Thou  and  thy 
bride  shall  have  a  house  apart — " 

But  at  his  voice  the  young  man,  foaming  at  the 
mouth,  sprang  up  from  his  couch  with  teeth  and 
hands  clenched  in  a  final  spasm,  and,  flinging  up  his 
hands,  fell  back  insensible. 

"  Go,  fetch  the  leech,  the  fit  will  pass,  in  sh' Allah. 
Be  secret,  lest  tongues  wag  to  our  dishonour,"  said 
Murjanah,  and  the  Pasha  went  at  once  to  the  se- 
lamlik,  returning  with  a  black  slave,  skilled  in  surgery. 
Yusuf  was  bled.  While  assisting  in  the  operation 
the  Pasha  asked  Murjanah: 

"  What  punishment  is  meet  for  her  we  wot  of?  " 

"  Forgiveness,  for  the  love  of  Allah !  "  was  the 
answer.  "  Upbraid  her  on  religious  grounds  and 
then  forgive  her.  We  know  her  generous,  impulsive 
nature.  Thy  sudden  kindness  will  affect  her  more 
than  blows.  Poor  soul,  she  must  have  suffered  very 


74.  VEILED  WOMEN 

deeply.  My  slaves  inform  me  that  she  saw  this  Eng- 
lishwoman as  a  kind  of  ghoul.  To-morrow,  with  her 
nature,  she  may  wish  to  hug  her.  Remove  the  young 
folks  for  the  present." 

"  I  had  thought  of  that,"  rejoined  the  Pasha. 
"  By  Allah,  they  shall  have  the  garden-house  to- 
wards Rodah.  To-morrow  I  will  have  the  place  pre- 
pared for  them." 

When  Yvisuf  Bey  came  back  to  life  he  wept  anew, 
but  weakly,  helplessly.  In  that  condition  he  was 
carried  to  his  own  apartments  by  the  surgeon,  with 
the  Pasha's  help,  Murjanah  going  on  before  to  warn 
the  bride. 

This  sad  procession  happened  to  encounter  a  slave 
of  Leylah  Khanum's  who,  hearing  Yusuf's  groans, 
ran  off  with  screams  and  told  her  mistress  he  was 
dead.  At  once  the  whole  harim  was  filled  with  wail- 
ing. Fitnah  Khanum,  thunderstruck  by  the  appal- 
ling news,  defiled  her  face  with  dirt  and  tore  her 
raiment.  She  rushed  shrieking  to  the  bridal 
chamber,  as  did  every  woman  and  child  who  by  re- 
lationship could  claim  the  right  to  enter.  She  knelt 
before  the  bride,  who  stood  apart,  bewildered,  and 
besought  her: 

"  Remove  the  spell,  restore  him,  for  the  love  of 
Allah.  I  sinned.  I  here  confess  it.  Thou  art 
much  too  strong  for  me.  Thou,  by  thy  magic,  hast 
turned  round  the  sword  to  pierce  my  bosom.  I  was 
impatient,  I  am  justly  punished.  The  wisest  of  man- 
kind advised  me  I  should  wait  three  months.  Thou 


VEILED  WOMEN  75 

seest  how  I  love  thee,  how  I  kneel  to  thee  and  kiss  thy 
feet.  Accept  my  life's  devotion :  only  save  him !  " 

Without  seeking  for  an  answer  to  her  prayer,  she 
rose  distractedly  and  went  and  flung  herself  upon  the 
bed  where  Yusuf  lay.  He  moaned : 

"  My  mother !  Oh,  alas,  thy  bitterness !  How 
couldst  thou  seek  to  rob  me  of  delight?  Behold  me 
dead !  Now  art  thou  satisfied  ?  O  Lord  have  mercy 
on  me !  O  Calamity !  " 

Blubbering  loudly,  she  implored  forgiveness. 
Soon  his  arms  went  round  her;  they  lay,  hugging 
one  another,  sobbing,  cooing,  while  the  spectators 
wept  aloud  in  tender  sympathy.  The  Pasha's  face 
was  hidden  in  his  pocket-handkerchief.  Murjanah 
Khanum  murmured  prayers  beneath  her  breath. 

"  O  my  despair !  my  wickedness ! "  the  mother 
shrieked. 

"  My  grief,  my  desolation;  n6w  my  joy ! "  sobbed 
Yusuf. 

"  O  Lord,  relieve  me,  for  my  heart  is  bursting," 
moaned  the  Pasha. 

"  Oh,  what  do  I  behold.  How  rapture  pains  me !  " 
came  from  bystanders.  All,  in  the  selfish  orgy  of 
emotion,  forgot  the  terrified  and  wondering  bride, 
who,  understanding  not  a  word  of  what  was  said, 
surveyed  a  riddle.  She  asked  the  Pasha  what  the 
matter  was.  He  answered  with  a  hiccup  of  emotion : 

"  It  is  nothing,  mademoiselle.  It  will  soon  pass. 
Have  no  fear ! "  which  only  added  to  her  stupefac- 
tion. 


76  VEILED  WOMEN 

She  had  seen  such  exhibitions  in  ill-governed  nurs- 
eries, but  never  among  grown-up  folks  before.  To 
account  for  all  the  outcry  she  imagined  some  tre- 
mendous tragedy,  and  waited  anxiously  to  learn  its 
nature. 

It  was  close  on  midnight  ere  the  chamber  emptied 
and,  left  alone  with  Yusuf ,  she  could  put  her  question. 
Then  he  told  her  the  whole  story  with  frequent  inter- 
jection of  "Oh,  how  I  suffered!"  She  learnt  that 
she  had  narrowly  escaped  a  cruel  death.  But  how 
her  danger  bore  upon  the  scenes  she  had  just  wit- 
nessed, or  in  what  manner  they  were  meant  to  reas- 
sure her,  she  could  not  divine.  Yusuf  himself 
bestowed  no  thought  on  her  predicament,  immersed 
in  contemplation  of  his  own  emotions.  Feeling  alone 
and  outcast,  she  wept  a  little  ere  she  went  to  sleep. 

In  the  morning  Yusuf  had  recovered  his  accus- 
tomed spirits.  When  she  alluded  with  a  shudder  to 
him  mother's  wickedness,  he  bade  her  have  no  fear; 
all  that  was  past.  From  that  day  forth  his  mother 
would  be  sure  to  cherish  her.  Her  mind  derived  no 
comfort  from  that  light  assurance;  it  remained  per- 
turbed until  the  Pasha  came  with  tidings  of  a  new 
arrangement  he  had  made  for  her  and  Yusuf  to  so- 
journ in  a  pleasure-house  of  his  among  the  suburbs. 


CHAPTER    XI 

THE  pleasure-house  was  a  two-storeyed  building, 
much  dilapidated,  having  been  unoccupied  by  the 
proprietor  for  many  years.  The  garden,  originally 
made  for  pleasure  by  the  Pasha's  father,  had  since 
been  used  exclusively  for  growing  vegetables.  It 
was  now  like  several  fields  with  palm  trees  set  at  inter- 
vals, the  whole  surrounded  by  a  high  mud  wall.  The 
Pasha  in  one  day  had  had  the  rooms  cleaned  out,  the 
snakes  extracted  from  their  walls  by  a  professional 
charmer;  the  next  he  sent  down  servants  with  the 
furniture,  and  the  same  evening  Barakah  arrived. 

The  house  resembled  a  gigantic  lantern  in  the  blue 
of  night  with  light  exuding  from  its  many  lattices.  De- 
scending from  the  harim  carriage  which  had  brought 
her,  together  with  two  women  and  the  girl  Fatumah, 
her  own  slaves,  she  was  met  by  Yusuf,  whom  she  had 
not  seen  all  day.  He  introduced  to  her  two  men  —  a 
new  experience,  which  seemed  an  earnest  of  less  strict 
seclusion.  One,  who  bore  a  torch,  bowed  low  with 
eyes  downcast.  He  was  the  gardener.  The  other 
—  a  most  honest-looking  youth  —  gazed  awestruck 
at  her  shrouded  form,  his  large  brown  eyes  dilated  to 
the  very  utmost,  while  a  vast  ecstatic  smile  bared  all 
his  teeth  —  a  smile  which  told  of  infinite  fidelity. 

77 


78  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  His  name,"  said  Yusuf,  "  is  Ghandur  —  my 
faithful  friend.  He  is  your  water-carrier,  and  will 
be  always  within  call  in  case  you  have  some  errand 
out  of  doors." 

Yusuf  then  walked  apart  with  the  two  men,  while 
Sawwab,  the  eunuch,  showed  the  lady  her  apartments. 
Sawwab  had  come  as  escort  to  the  carriage  and  re- 
turned with  it  as  soon  as  he  had  seen  her  settled  com- 
fortably. A  leering  crone  was  left  to  guard  pro- 
priety, a  task  which  she  performed  extremely  ill  on 
that  first  evening;  for  instead  of  checking  the  high 
spirits  of  the  slave-girls,  who  romped  for  joy  at  their 
release  from  stricter  discipline,  she  smiled  upon  their 
antics,  and  herself  performed  a  most  improper  dance 
before  the  bride. 

For  several  days  Yusuf  remained  contented  in  the 
house  and  garden;  while  Barakah,  half-dazed  but 
happy  too,  beheld  him  as  incarnate  passion,  not  as 
man.  She  was  the  first  to  tire  of  loves  and  doves, 
and  try  to  talk  of  something  sensible.  Yusuf  ap- 
peared to  think  the  speech  of  every  day  a  waste  of 
time  between  them. 

Then  came  the  period  of  tiffs,  the  fretful  wakening. 
Yusuf  began  to  deal  in  sentiment  about  his  mother, 
proclaiming  it  a  hardship  that  his  wife  should  still 
distrust  her. 

"  She  is  kind  and  tender  —  O,  how  dear  to  me ! 
Go  to  her,  Barakah !  Kneel  at  her  feet,  embrace  her 
hands,  and  she  will  surely  pardon." 

"  Pardon  ?     What,    pray  ?  "    exclaimed    the    bride 


VEILED  WOMEN  79 

indignantly.  "  It  is  for  her  to  ask  pardon  of  me 
whom,  kindly  recollect,  she  tried  to  poison." 

"  She  is  older  than  you ;  she  is  my  mother.  It 
behoves  you  to  be  modest  and  submissive  towards  her. 
I  have  forgiven  all,  and  so  should  you.  She  is  my 
mother." 

It  was  a  relief  one  morning  when  the  Pasha  came 
and  bore  the  young  man  off,  declaring  jokingly  that 
he  would  die  of  too  much  sweet  if  he  remained  im- 
mured there  longer.  Of  Barakah  he  said  the  same, 
informing  her  that  Leylah  Khanum  and  Gulbeyzah 
would  call  that  afternoon  to  take  her  out  upon  a  round 
of  visits. 

Then  Yusuf  took  to  being  absent  all  day  long, 
but  came  home  gladly  in  the  evenings,  full  of  love. 
He  volunteered  no  tidings  of  his  day's  amusements, 
and  when  she  questioned  him  about  them  seemed  to 
think  it  odd. 

"  All  that  is  not  your  business,"  he  informed  her 
kindly. 

She  hinted  at  the  pleasures  of  companionship,  the 
bond  of  common  interests.  He  laughed,  inquiring: 

"  Are  we  not  companions  ?  Have  we  not  interests 
in  common?  You  teach  me  English,  and  I  teach  you 
Arabic;  we  compare  the  customs  of  the  races.  And 
we  love!  Are  not. these  interests  much  greater  than  to 
hear  what  Fulan  said  to  Zeyd,  what  Zeyd  replied,  and 
whether  Hafiz  or  Mahmud  obtained  the  Government 
appointment?  That  is  the  life  of  men,  a  passing  of 
the  hours  till  night,  when  they  return  to  the  beloved. 


80  VEILED  WOMEN 

If  anything  of  weight  befell  I  should  inform  you. 
What  pleasure  could  it  give  to  you  to  hear  repeated 
the  gabble  of  a  lot  of  people  you  will  never  know  ?  " 

Perceiving  much  in  Yusuf's  tastes  and  conversa- 
tion which  pious  English  people  would  have  thought 
ungodly,  she  gasped  a  little  on  discovering  he  was 
religious.  Attracted  by  a  faith  which  showed  some 
tolerance  of  human  failings,  she  was  studying  the 
rudiments  of  El  Islam  by  Yusuf's  guidance;  acquir- 
ing prayers  and  all  the  rules  for  saying  them,  in- 
cluding washings  and  the  proper  time  and  place. 
Nothing  seemed  left  to  the  believer's  judgment,  it 
was  all  laid  down.  When,  at  a  lesson  in  prostra- 
tion, she  was  moved  to  laughter,  he  became  quite 
terrible,  and  warned  her  threateningly  that  in  this 
country  any  man  or  woman  was  likely  to  be  torn 
in  pieces  for  a  hint  of  blasphemy.  The  awe  she  felt 
was  oddly  mixed  with  fascination. 

There  were  details  she  would  not  have  chosen 
in  her  cloistered  life,  but  on  the  whole  it  was  the 
happiest  that  she  had  ever  known.  She  was  waited 
on  hand  and  foot  who  had  known  drudgery;  her 
husband  used  her  as  a  reigning  beauty  who,  but  a 
few  weeks  since,  had  been  esteemed  uninteresting. 
Then  there  were  pleasures  of  society.  The  Pasha's 
carriage  often  came,  with  one  or  other  of  the  ladies 
and  Gulbeyzah,  to  take  her  round  to  call  on  grand 
harims.  She  was  received  with  favour  by  great 
ladies.  One,  a  princess,  by  name  Aminah  Khanum, 
insisted  on  her  spending  a  whole  day  alone  with  her. 


VEILED  WOMEN  81 

This  dame,  though  elderly,  still  dressed  to  charm. 
Her  rooms  were  full  of  European  furniture,  but  she 
herself  sat  always  on  a  sofa,  smoking  a  long,  old- 
fashioned  pipe  with  coral  mouthpiece. 

"  You  are  not  of  the  first  rank  in  your  own  coun- 
try," she  told  Barakah  to  start  with,  bluntly ;  "  or 
you  would  not  be  where  you  are.  You  do  not  know 
the  people  I  have  met  in  France  and  England,  so 
don't  pretend  you  do.  I  value  frankness."  It 
seemed  she  knew  the  English  pretty  thoroughly. 

She  spoke  good  French  and  talked  of  Western 
Europe  with  intelligence,  seeming  in  general  to  ap- 
prove its  customs.  One  little  speech  of  hers  amazed 
the  visitor,  intruding  as  it  did  abruptly  upon  lighter 
talk: 

"  The  Europeans  have  degraded  love  and  made 
life  banal.  They  spread  life's  agitation  over  a  vast 
surface  and  account  it  progress;  we  value  depth 
and  stillness.  Enlarging  each  life's  pool,  they  make 
it  shallow.  A  woman's  life  is  of  the  feelings,  which 
are  dulled,  not  quickened,  by  extensive  interests. 
Their  men  too  suffer,  growing  superficial,  flippant, 
without  depth  of  character." 

When  Barakah  retailed  this  saying  to  Gulbeyzah, 
the  Circassian  sighed :  "  She  knows ! "  and  told  a 
curious  story. 

It  was  that  years  ago  a  European  officer  in  the 
Egyptian  service  had  wooed  Aminah  Khanum 
secretly;  and  she  had  been  entirely  captivated  by 
his  charms.  But  endeavouring  to  sound  his  char- 


82  VEILED  WOMEN 

acter,  she  found  him  shallow.  She  made  him  islam, 
but  his  carelessness  informed  her  that  conversion 
meant  no  more  for  him  than  access  to  her.  In  the 
same  way  she  perceived  that  what  he  felt  for  her 
was  nothing  more  profound  than  the  desire  to  add 
a  Muslim  lady  to  his  list  of  conquests.  The  blow 
was  dire,  for  she  was  then  extremely  lovely,  and  a 
great  examiner  of  men,  having  divorced  or  killed 
ten  husbands.  She  would  not  have  him  tell  a  tale 
among  his  kind,  yet  could  not  conquer  her  intense 
desire  of  him.  What  could  she  do?  She  satisfied 
her  heart,  and  the  next  morning  gave  him  death  in 
easy  form,  being  well  versed  in  poisons. 

Barakah  cried  out  in  horror;  but  Gulbeyzah 
shrugged. 

"  What  else  could  woman,  not  a  harlot,  do?  He 
was  an  infidel,  and  would  have  bragged  of  her.  Ever 
since  then  Aminah  Khanum  has  a  kindness  for  the 
Franks,  though  she  deplores  their  levity." 

"  And  would  you  do  the  same  ?  " 

"  One  cannot  tell  beforehand.  I  am  not  a  prin- 
cess. Either  that  or  kill  myself.  May  God  pre- 
serve us  from  unsanctioned  love  of  all  kinds ! " 

Barakah  felt  overwhelmed  by  the  intenseness,  the 
tragic  vigour  of  these  women,  who  seemed  mild  and 
playful. 

Mrs.  Cameron  called  at  the  garden-house  one 
afternoon,  and  Barakah  was  proud  to  give  her  a  real 
English  tea.  Except  for  the  costume,  which  was 
much  richer,  and  an  added  glow  of  happiness,  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  88 

visitor,  she  felt  convinced,  could  not  detect  the 
slightest  change  in  her.  One  thing  at  least  was  cer- 
tain, she  had  not  deteriorated,  as  Mrs.  Cameron 
before  the  marriage  had  foretold  she  would.  The 
visitor  was  amiable,  and  made  no  allusion  to  the 
past.  Before  departing  she  made  Barakah  an  offer 
of  some  knitting  wool  and  needles  she  had  just  re- 
ceived from  England.  The  wife  of  Yusuf  Bey  ac- 
cepted gladly,  for  she  began  to  feel  the  weight  of 
idle  hands. 

The  wools  arriving  an  hour  later,  she  debated 
what  to  make  with  them;  and,  being  at  the  time  in 
English  mood,  decided  on  a  pair  of  slippers  for  her 
husband.  But  when  she  told  him  of  her  purpose, 
he  frowned  wonderingly,  and  asked: 

"  Are  you  a  shoemaker?  " 

Utterly  disconcerted  by  so  apt  a  question,  she  tried 
to  paint  the  beauty  of  the  project,  but  he  could  not 
see  it. 

"  If  you  want  slippers,  buy  them  in  the  market. 
It  is  not  your  trade.  When  one  like  you  employs 
the  needle,  it  is  not  for  use.  Ask  my  mother;  she 
will  show  you  the  right  work  to  do." 

He  had  his  own  ideas.  The  coloured  wools  were 
given  to  Fatumah,  who  made  anklets  of  them,  and 
other  personal  adornments,  which  amused  her  for  a 
week. 

Deducing  from  her  wish  to  make  him  slippers 
that  she  found  the  hours  long  in  his  absence,  Yusuf 
procured  her  botiks  in  French  and  English.  He 


84.  VEILED  WOMEN 

also  brought  her  a  fine  musical  box,  which  played 
dance-music  in  stentorian  tones  to  the  rapture  of 
the  slaves,  who  kept  it  going  all  day  long.  The 
Pasha  came  and  begged  her  not  to  imagine  that 
she  was  debarred  from  every  pleasure.  It  would  be 
cruel  to  confine  a  damsel  of  her  breeding  as  strictly 
as  a  native  of  the  country.  Let  her  but  name  her 
wishes ;  they  should  be  deferred  to.  He  even  threw 
out  hints  that  she  and  Yusuf  might  possibly  see  Paris 
in  the  coming  summer. 

Thus  exhorted,  and  encouraged  by  the  sight  of 
women  like  Aminah  Khanum,  who  seemed  to  order 
every  one  their  way,  she  forsook  the  timid  attitude 
which  had  been  hers  since  marriage,  and  viewed  ex- 
istence with  commanding  eyes.  The  old  woman  who 
had  been  engaged  to  play  propriety,  was  horrified 
one  day  to  see  her  talking  bare-faced  at  a  window 
to  Ghandur,  the  water-carrier.  The  crone  expostu- 
lated, coaxed,  entreated,  and  at  length,  when  all 
proved  vain,  informed  the  husband,  who,  to  her  utter 
consternation,  laughed. 

"Ghandur?"  he  cried;  "Ghandur  is  my  right 
foot,"  and  immediately  applied  that  member  to  the 
beldame's  person. 

The  old  woman  did  not  dare  to  speak  again  to 
Barakah,  though  the  latter  plagued  her  mercilessly, 
crying  "  Ghandur !  "  here  and  "  Ghandur !  "  there, 
for  the  treat  of  seeing  her  curvet  and  wring  her 
hands. 


VEILED  WOMEN  85 

One  morning,  after  Yusuf  had  departed,  she  grew 
conscious  of  a  great  oppression  due  to  lack  of  outlet. 
The  feeling  had  been  with  her  vaguely  for  some  days. 
Now  she  knew  it  for  a  craving;  she  must  see  an  Eng- 
lish person  to  revive  her  fading  interest  in  the  strange 
things  around  her. 

"  Ghandur !  "  she  cried. —  He  answered  "  Hadir !  "      /- 
— "  Fetch   me  a   carriage   for  the  fifth  hour  after 
noon." 

"  Hadir !  "  he  said  again ;  and  from  her  lattice  she 
saw  him  speed  off  on  his  errand  like  the  wind. 
There  were  few  carriages  for  hire  in  Cairo  in  those 
days,  and  it  was  necessary  to  bespeak  one  early. 

"  The  lady  wishes  to  go  out  ?  Shall  I  accompany 
her?  "  cooed  the  old  woman,  who  was  hovering  near. 

"No.     I  go  alone!" 

"  I  had  better  accompany  the  lady." 

"  No,  I  tell  thee !  " 

The  lady  stamped  her  foot,  when  the  duenna 
shuffled  off,  wagging  her  head  forebodingly  and 
mumbling. 

"How  absurd!"  thought  Barakah.  "Haven't 
Yusuf  and  the  Pasha  told  me  twenty  times  that 
women,  in  the  kind  of  shroud  they  make  us  wear, 
can  go  anywhere  alone  without  attracting  notice?  " 

When  the  carriage  came  —  a  hooded  one  —  she 
sallied  forth,  correctly  veiled,  escorted  by  Ghandur, 
who,  seeing  no  one  with  her,  asked  leave  to  mount 
the  box  beside  the  driver.  She  gave  it,  feeling  sure 


86  VEILED  WOMEN 

that  the  old  woman  was  watching  the  departure 
through  some  upper  lattice.  Ghandur  sprang  up 
with  a  delighted  grin,  quite  rigid  with  the  pride  of 
high  preferment. 


CHAPTER    XII 

IN  the  sandy  lane  outside  the  Camerons'  garden- 
gate  some  carriages  already  waited;  a  saddle- 
horse  or  two  and  many  donkeys,  all  in  charge  of 
servants,  twitched  their  ears  and  swished  their 
tails  in  the  deep  shadow  by  the  wall.  Barakah  felt 
disappointed  and  annoyed.  It  seemed  that  she 
had  lighted  on  a  great  reception,  when  her  desire 
had  been  a  quiet  chat  with  Mrs.  Cameron.  Pre- 
vision of  Ghandur's  amazement  if  she  gave  the 
order  to  turn  back,  and  the  satisfaction  which  her 
quick  return  would  give  the  mother  of  propriety, 
made  her  go  on;  but  she  determined  to  stay  only 
a  few  minutes  and  then  walk  home,  the  evening 
being  cool,  to  spend  the  time.  With  this  in  view, 
upon  alighting  she  gave  money  to  Ghandur,  bidding 
him  dismiss  the  carriage  and  himself  go  home.  He 
made  a  good  deal  of  remonstrance,  but  at  last  sub- 
mitted, understanding  that  the  people  of  the  house 
would  furnish  means  of  transit.  He  considered  it 
his  place,  however,  to  remain  in  waiting. 

Barakah  then  went  in,  much  hampered  by  the 
stare  of  squatting  servants  which  seemed  to  cling 
like  fetters  to  her  ankles.  A  Berberi  butler  ushered 

87 


88  VEILED  WOMEN 

her  into  the  drawing-room  and  announced  her  with 
the  single  word: 

"  Harim." 

The  room  was  even  fuller  than  she  had  expected. 
Her  entrance  seemed  to  cause  a  great  sensation. 
Her  heart  sank,  there  was  singing  in  her  ears ;  she 
encountered  all  those  faces  with  a  sense  of  drowning. 
Moving  mechanicaii}  ui  a  trance  of  apprehension, 
it  was  with  surprise  a  minute  later  that  she  found 
herself  ensconced  in  a  deck-chair  beside  an  open  win- 
dow, alive  and  quite  uninjured,  though  her  pulse 
beat  high.  She  removed  her  mouth-veil  then  and 
looked  about  her.  It  seemed  to  be  a.  gathering  of 
the  whole  English  colony,  with  the  addition  of  some 
French  and  German  ladies.  The  Consul,  her  aver- 
sion, was  talking  with  some  other  men,  who  formed 
a  standing  group.  He  took  no  notice  of  her,  rather 
pointedly.  The  women,  thirty  at  the  least,  kept 
up  a  din  of  chatter. 

The  hostess  came  and  introduced  her  to  the  ladies 
near  her.  Though  the  manner  in  which  this  was 
done  was  very  kind,  Barakah  felt  that  Mrs.  Cameron 
disliked  her  coming.  That  lady  looked  upon  her  as 
a  fallen  creature,  to  be  visited  and  seen  occasion- 
ally out  of  charity,  no  longer  to  be  classed  with 
English  women.  The  prejudice  stung  Barakah  to 
downright  impudence.  Abashment  left  her.  She 
began  to  chatter  and  laugh  loudly  just  to  let  her 
hostess  know  that  she  was  somebody.  Sipping  her 
tea,  she  talked  of  harim  life,  deriding  the  false 


VEILED  WOMEN  89 

notions  which  prevailed  concerning  it.  It  was  per- 
fectly delightful,  not  a  bit  what  Europeans  thought. 
She  proceeded  to  retail  her  own  experiences.  In  a 
trice  she  gathered  half  a  score  of  eager  listeners. 

But  is  not  this  or  that  the  case  invariably,  they 
inquired?  She  was  able  to  confute  them  always, 
with  amusing  instances.  She  sank  her  voice,  the 
listening  heads  drew  nearer;  there  were  stifled 
giggles.  Certain  stories  she  had  picked  up  from 
Gulbeyzah  were  quite  killing.  She  told  of  the  old 
woman  who  was  set  to  guard  her  — "  an  Oriental 
Mrs.  Grundy,"  she  assured  them  —  and  her  horror 
at  her  going  out  alone  that  afternoon. 

"  But  my  husband  doesn't  mind  a  bit,  of  course. 
The  dear  man  lets  me  do  just  what  I  like.  It  is 
only  middle-class  people  nowadays  who  are  strict 
about  seclusion.  .  .  .  Oh,  by  the  way,  do  you  know 
Princess  Aminah?  .  .  ." 

She  had  never  in  her  life  talked  so  effectively. 
The  stored  frivolity  of  weeks  was  spent  in  one  short 
hour;  while  with  the  tail  of  an  eye  she  noted  Mrs. 
Cameron's  disgust  at  her  small  social  triumph,  the 
shrugs  and  glances  she  exchanged  with  her  own 
kind. 

While  her  success  was  at  its  height,  she  read- 
justed her  white  muslin  mouth- veil  and  got  up 
to  go. 

"  Thank  you  for  a  most  delightful  hour,"  she 
gushed  at  taking  leave,  receiving  in  reply  a  look 
which  plainly  said :  "  You  have  deteriorated." 


90  VEILED  WOMEN 

Going  out  upon  the  wave  of  her  excitement,  she 
suddenly  remembered  that  she  had  dismissed  her 
carriage.  It  was  no  matter.  The  distance  to  be 
traversed  was  no  more  than  half  a  mile,  the  road  a 
straight  one,  shady  at  that  hour.  The  little  walk 
would  serve  to  cool  her  wits. 

But  Ghandur,  who  was  squatting  by  the  outer 
door,  sprang  up  at  sight  of  her.  He  bade  her 
"  Wait !  "  with  a  profusion  of  engaging  grins  and 
frantic  gestures.  Taking  her  assent  for  granted, 
when  she  stopped  to  argue,  he  set  off  down  the  lane 
at  a  great  pace,  trailing  a  plume  of  dust  from  either 
heel. 

Seeing  she  still  moved  on,  despite  her  servant's 
warning,  the  doorkeeper  of  the  house  stepped  for- 
ward and,  saluting,  begged  her  to  return  indoors. 
When  she  refused,  he  shrugged  despairingly  and 
with  some  word  which  sounded  like  an  oath  went 
back  to  his  own  seat.  The  waiting  grooms  and 
donkey-boys  called  out,  and  standing  together  in  a 
little  crowd  stared  after  her.  She  thought  them 
merely  rude. 

She  moved  against  the  stream  of  country  people 
returning  homeward  from  their  business  in  the  city. 
They  stared  at  her  in  passing,  and  occasionally 
made  remarks  which  sounded  friendly.  The  dust 
raised  by  the  trail  of  robes,  and  by  the  donkeys' 
hoofs,  was  some  annoyance;  but  the  dust  itself 
became  a  splendour  where  the  sunset  caught  it;  the 
shadows  were  deep  blue,  enhancing  colours  of  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  91 

crowd;  and  the  balm  of  evening  was  in  every  breath 
she  drew.  To  Barakah,  who  had  not  walked  for 
months,  the  very  motion  was  a  comfort.  She  stepped 
forward  briskly,  musing  on  the  scene  she  had  just 
quitted. 

What  were  those  women  saying  of  her  now?  Mrs. 
Cameron  was  no  doubt  declaiming,  and  they  all 
agreed  with  her.  Every  word  that  she  had  said 
was  turned  against  her.  On  that  perception  she  was 
filled  with  shame.  The  unkindness,  the  indecency  of 
holding  up  her  husband's  people  to  provide  amuse- 
ment for  a  hostile  race  appeared  unthinkable,  the 
basest  treachery.  A  wave  of  tenderness  for  Yiisuf, 
for  Ghandur,  the  slave-girls,  even  the  old  woman, — 
all  the  home  surroundings, —  overcame  her ;  while  her 
mind  abhorred  the  frigid,  callous  English,  who  had 
lured  her  on  to  make  a  mock  of  her.  Why  should 
she  ever  see  them  more?  She  hated  them.  Phrases 
which  had  passed  her  lips  ten  minutes  since  were  now 
abominable  —  a  source  of  shame  that  could  not 
cease,  it  seemed,  but  must  flow  on  for  ever  till  the  end 
of  time.  How  had  she  uttered  them?  It  was  their 
fault  for  scorning  her,  for  placing  her  on  an  un- 
natural footing,  making  speech  a  pitfall.  The 
harim  was  her  natural  refuge,  her  true  home.  She 
never  wished  to  quit  its  shade  again. 

Thus  fiercely  musing,  she  pursued  the  sandy  lane 
until  she  reached  a  point  where  a  road  branched  off 
from  it  at  right  angles. 

Upon    the    corner    stood    a    whitewashed    shrine, 


92  VEILED  WOMEN 

pink  in  the  glow  of  sunset,  the  crescent  flashing 
on  its  egg-like  dome;  beside  it  a  great  tree  under 
whose  foliage  a  crowd  of  men  were  sitting  out  on 
stools,  smoking  and  drinking  coffee  in  the  shade. 
Some  of  these  took  notice  of  her,  pointing  rudely, 
attracting  the  attention  of  the  others  and  the 
passers-by.  Supposing  something  wrong  with  her 
attire,  she  quickened  step.  Her  road  ran  through 
a  village.  She  heard  shouts  and  laughter.  A  well- 
dressed  man  strode  past  her  from  behind,  and  turn- 
ing searched  her  eyes.  Spurred  now  by  fear,  she 
tried  to  hurry  on ;  but  found  herself  the  centre  of  a 
crowd,  whose  members,  moving  with  her,  jabbered, 
pointed,  jeered.  One  tweaked  her  habbarah;  an- 
other seized  her  arm  as  if  to  feel  the  muscle.  Her 
heart  beat  loud,  her  throat  was  choked  with  sobs 
repressed  by  terror. 

The  mob  grew  every  moment  bolder  in  its  menace. 
A  stalwart  peasant-woman  barred  the  way  before 
her,  grinning  —  prepared,  it  seemed,  to  pluck  away 
her  mouth-veil. 

Barakah  had  paused,  cowering,  not  knowing  where 
to  turn  for  succour,  when  the  shout  of  a  familiar 
voice  relieved  the  strain  and  let  her  tears  have  vent. 
Ghandur  came  on  the  scene,  leading  a  saddled  ass. 
His  explanations  soon  dispersed  the  mob.  He  lifted 
her  upon  the  donkey;  and  in  a  moment,  as  things 
happen  in  a  dream,  she  was  at  home  again,  confront- 
ing Yusuf,  who  approached  the  gate  as  they 
arrived. 


VEILED  WOMEN  93 

He  seemed  thunder-struck  at  her  appearance. 
Hearing  Ghandur's  story,  he  asked  God  for  help, 
and  raised  his  arm  to  strike  her.  She  fell  fainting 
at  his  feet. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

WHEN  Barakah  came  to  herself,  she  was  lying  in 
her  bedroom,  which  was  dim  and  seemed  unusually 
lofty,  for  her  bed  was  on  the  floor,  and  a  feeble  lamp 
confined  in  perforated  brass,  which  gave  what  light 
there  was,  stood  down  beside  it.  The  pattern  of  the 
brass-work,  much  enlarged,  was  faintly  reproduced 
on  wall  and  ceiling.  She  was  alone,  but  from  a  dis- 
tance sounds  of  wailing  reached  her,  and  she  heard 
her  husband  cursing  the  old  woman  for  neglect  of 
duty. 

When  she  recalled  her  glee  at  setting  forth  that 
afternoon,  the  course  of  subsequent  events  seemed 
very  cruel.  After  such  misfortunes,  consolation  was 
her  due;  instead  of  which  the  house  was  in  commo- 
tion, Yusuf  mad.  Self-pity  overwhelmed  her.  She 
was  all  alone  among  strange  savage  beings  without 
sympathy;  while  those  who  might  have  understood 
and  shared  her  feelings  were  her  enemies.  She  lay 
with  face  down  on  her  pillow,  weeping  silently. 

By  and  by  Yusuf  came  into  the  room.  She  could 
tell  by  his  hard  breathing  he  was  still  enraged. 
Afraid  that  he  was  going  to  beat  her,  she  lay  quiet, 
as  though  still  unconscious;  but  in  a  little  while 
a  sob  betrayed  her.  Then  his  wrath  descended. 

94 


VEILED  WOMEN  95 

French  deserting  him,  he  raved  at  her  in  Arabic  and 
Turkish ;  and  her  inability  to  catch  his  meaning  made 
him  angrier.  She  lay  in  terror,  crying  bitterly, 
replying  to  such  questions  as  she  understood, 
until  his  fury  sank  to  lamentation  and  his  French 
returned. 

"  My  honour ! "  was  his  cry.  "  You  have  be- 
trayed my  honour  in  thus  going  forth  alone.  The 
servants  of  the  English  house  who  know  you  will 
send  a  whisper  and  a  laugh  through  all  the  markets. 
And  those  who  saw  you  walking  in  the  dust!  .  .  . 
Have  you  no  shame,  no  delicacy?  What  will  my 
father  say?  The  news  will  kill  him!  You  have 
killed  my  father !  " 

"  You  do  not  think  of  me  at  all,"  sobbed  Barakah. 
"  Here  have  I  been  insulted,  scared  to  death  by  your 
vile  people,  and  you  scold  me!  I  wish  that  I  had 
never  seen  you.  I  am  so  unhappy!  In  England 
people  would  be  punished  for  the  things  you 
do.  Those  horrible  men  and  women  who  attacked 
me—" 

"  May  Allah  burn  them,  every  one ! "  cried 
Yusuf  in  fierce  Arabic.  "  Gladly  would  I  pluck  out 
all  their  tongues !  They  witnessed  the  dishonour  of 
my  name,  and  will  relate  it." 

The  wrangle  lasted  far  into  the  night.  At  last, 
however,  Yusuf's  tone  relented;  they  embraced,  and 
he  demanded  the  whole  history  of  her  ill-starred  visit. 
But  when  he  heard  that  men  had  been  in  the  same 
room  with  her,  his  wrath  redoubled.  He  beat  his 


96  VEILED  WOMEN 

breast,  he  gnashed  his  teeth,  he  slapped  her  face,  he 
paced  the  room  denouncing  her  depravity. 

"  You  are  a  brute ! "  she  cried  hysterically. 
"  What  harm  if  men  were  present  ?  They  did  not 
come  near  me.  I  am  not  like  your  women  —  bred 
up  to  think  of  one  thing  only.  Nor  are  English- 
men like  you;  they  have  respect  for  women.  You 
are  mad." 

Yusuf  was  really  mad,  or  seemed  so,  at  that 
moment.  He  called  her  evil  names  in  every  tongue 
of  which  he  had  a  smattering;  and  then  in  French, 
made  childish  by  his  rage,  accused  all  Europeans  of 
disgusting  conduct. 

"  You  deny  it  —  hem?  You  are  a  liar,  for  the 
fact  is  known.  We  are  not  ignorant;  we  travel,  and 
we  have  their  books.  What  say  you  of  their  balls, 
their  public  dances,  where  women  —  nay,  young 
virgins  —  choose  what  man  they  please,  deserting 
husband  or  fiance  —  empty  names  !  —  and  dance  and 
afterwards  retire  with  him?  The  fact  is  known! 
The  race  is  shameless  —  may  God  punish  them !  It 
is  forbidden  for  us  to  cast  up  former  things  in  mar- 
riage; but  for  the  future  I  command  you  to  forsake 
their  filthiness.  Go  once  again,  and  we  shall  know 
you  worthless!  Swear  to  renounce  their  company, 
or  I  will  kill  you !  " 

She  sat  up  and  confronted  him  with  eyes  of  fire. 

"  Oh,  brute !  "  she  panted ;  "  monster !  rabid  dog ! 
I  have  had  enough  of  you  and  your  behaviour.  I 


VEILED  WOMEN  97 

i 

shall  leave  you.  To-morrow  I  shall  go  to  the  Con- 
sul and  tell  him  how  you  struck  me ! " 

"  You  shall  not  leave  this  room.  I  am  your 
master." 

"  Lock  the  door,  block  up  the  window,  bind  me, 
guard  me,  I  still  will  find  some  way  to  let  the  Consul 
know.  You  shall  be  punished  —  I  have  sworn  it. 
I  have  had  enough,  I  say.  I  shall  return  to  Eng- 
land." 

"  Your  talk  is  madness !  Have  a  care !  The  pun- 
ishment is  death  for  one  renouncing  El  Islam.  Say, 
is  that  your  meaning?  Your  own  slaves  will  kill 
you!" 

He  put  the  question  in  blood-curdling  tones.  But 
Barakah,  dissolved  in  tears,  made  no  rejoinder.  A 
minute  later  he  was  once  more  at  her  side,  imploring 
mercy,  declaring  her  his  light  of  life,  his  pearl  of 
pearls.  She  still  whimpered,  "  I  shall  tell  the  Con- 
sul." 

At  last  she  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep. 

When  she  woke  again  it  was  broad  daylight;  her 
coffee  and  a  kind  of  pancake,  which  composed  her 
breakfast  every  morning,  steamed  upon  a  tray  be- 
side her.  Yusuf  had  left  the  room.  He  came  back 
presently,  and,  kneeling  down,  implored  her  to  for- 
get his  madness.  Enjoying  her  advantage  in  a  list- 
less way,  she  put  on  an  exaggerated  air  of  feebleness, 
and  moaned: 

"  You  were  too  cruel.     I  shall  tell  the  Consul." 


98  VEILED  WOMEN 

At  that  he  sprang  up  as  a  man  demented  and 
rushed  out.  No  sooner  was  he  gone  than  she  re- 
lapsed to  weeping,  stricken  by  the  curse  of  utter 
helplessness  which  underlay  her  pitiful  pretence  at 
pride.  To  have  been  beaten  black  and  blue  by 
Yusuf  would  have  been  less  ignominious  than  to 
let  the  Consul  know  she  was  unhappy.  She  had 
walked  into  this  guarded  life  with  open  eyes,  aware 
of  the  conditions  which  must  thenceforth  fetter 
her  existence,  boasting  love  for  them.  The  least 
complaint,  much  more  retreat,  was  thus  impossible. 
Even  in  the  heat  of  anger  she  had  had  no  real  in- 
tention to  go  back.  Yusuf  had  enraged  her,  the 
mob  upon  the  previous  day  had  frightened  her 
exceedingly ;  but  after  all  they  were  her  chosen  peo- 
ple, though  so  strange.  She  could  never  come  to 
hate  them  as  she  did  the  English. 

She  rose  at  last  with  mind  to  go  into  another  room. 
The  door  was  locked.  Upon  her  trying  it  a  slave- 
girl  shouted: 

"  It  is  forbidden  to  go  out.  Does  my  lady  re- 
quire anything  that  I  can  bring  her?  " 

Barakah  bit  her  lip  and  flushed  as  she  turned  back. 
Remembrance  of  her  boasting  yesterday  before  those 
Englishwomen  rose  to  taunt  her. 

A  little  sunlight  entered  through  the  lattice  like 
gold-dust.  The  gardener  was  at  his  work  of  water- 
ing —  a  lengthy  process  —  assisted  by  his  little  son 
and  by  Ghandur,  Fatumah  playing  round  and  teas- 
ing them.  She  heard  their  shouts  and  the  familiar 


VEILED  WOMEN  99 

noises  marking  stages  of  the  work;  and  by  degrees, 
as  she  sat  idle,  listening,  a  measure  of  contentment 
came  to  her.  Her  troubles  were  of  her  own  making; 
she  had  tempted  Providence  by  flouting  rules  she  had 
herself  accepted.  Henceforth,  she  vowed,  she  would 
be  passive,  of  a  boldness  purely  speculative,  like 
Gulbeyzah. 

It  was  not  very  long  before  the  room  door  opened, 
admitting  Yusuf  and  his  father,  both  with  faces  of 
concern.  Saluting,  in  his  courtly  way,  the  Pasha 
offered  an  unqualified  apology  for  everything  that 
might  displease  her  in  the  customs  of  the  country. 
His  son  had  told  him  of  the  trouble  which  had  come 
between  them.  It  arose  from  a  simple  and  entirely 
pardonable  misunderstanding,  as  he  hoped  at  once 
to  demonstrate  to  her  well-known  intelligence,  if  she 
would  pay  him  the  distinguished  compliment  of  at- 
tending for  a  little  moment  to 'his  explanation. 

With  that,  he  crossed  one  leg  beneath  him  on  the 
sofa,  a  compromise  between  the  Eastern  and  the 
Western  attitude,  and  began: 

"  I  told  you,  if  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  re- 
member, when  first  the  question  of  a  marriage  with 
my  son  arose  between  us,  that  we  had  stricter  rules 
for  the  protection  of  our  women  than  prevail  in 
Europe.  I  also  told  you  that,  those  rules  once 
honoured,  a  woman  had  all  freedom  and  con- 
sideration. I  did  wrong,  I  now  perceive  with  infinite 
regret,  not  to  explain  to  you  precisely  the  reason  and 
the  nature  of  those  rules;  for,  see,  entirely  owing  to 


100  VEILED  WOMEN 

that  fault  of  mine,  you  have  transgressed  them  inno- 
cently. I  should  like,  if  you  permit  it,  to  expound 
their  general  tendency  and  benevolent  intention." 

Barakah  was  sore  abashed.  The  Pasha's  en- 
trance, the  intervention  of  so  dignified  a  person  in 
a  childish  quarrel  due  to  her  misconduct,  over- 
whelmed her.  At  this  point  in  his  speech  she  inter- 
jected: 

"  Pardon !  I  did  wrong,  I  know !  But  I  had 
no  idea  ...  I  wore  the  habbarah  and  mouth-veil. 
You  had  told  me  that  a  woman  dressed  like  that 
was  safe  from  insult." 

"  I  spoke  in  too  general  a  sense.  It  is  my  fault 
entirely.  You  sinned  through  ignorance,  and 
Yusuf  should  not  have  been  angry  —  though,  in- 
deed, to  our  ideas  your  conduct  was  abominable." 

"  But  what  wrong  did  I  do,  beyond  going  out 
without  permission?  Why  did  the  people  on  the 
road  beset  me  ?  Oh,  I  am  so  miserable !  " 

The  Pasha  shrugged  his  shoulders  with  a  smile 
to  Yusuf,  as  who  should  say: 

"  Observe  her  innocence !  " 

"  No,  no,  don't  cry,  I  beg  of  you ! "  he  pleaded. 
"  God  be  praised  you  have  derived  no  hurt  from 
the  adventure.  It  is  entirely  owing  to  respect  for 
you  that  I  and  my  son  are  so  concerned  about  it. 
Beloved  daughter,  women  are  for  us  so  sacred  —  the 
spirit  of  the  house,  the  secret  fount  of  life  —  that  we 
never  even  speak  of  them  with  friends  for  fear  some 
light  word  of  unseemly  thought  should  go  towards 


VEILED  WOMEN  101 

them.  Nothing  must  be  known  of  them,  no  talk 
made  about  them,  outside  the  world  of  women  and 
our  own  harim. 

"  Yesterday,  by  going  out  alone  in  an  open  car- 
riage, you  attracted  notice  all  unconsciously.  Your 
habbarah  is  of  a  rich  material,  your  mouth-veil  of 
the  kind  only  worn  by  ladies  of  good  houses.  No 
such  lady  would  have  gone  abroad  thus  unattended. 
The  servants  of  your  English  friend  would  comment 
on  the  strange  proceeding,  and,  knowing  who  you 
were,  think  shame  of  us. 

"  But  that  is  the  least  part  of  what  you  did. 
That,  by  itself,  would  have  been  nothing.  But  you 
walked.  Great  God!  What  made  you  walk?  That 
is  for  me  inexplicable ! " 

"  I  felt  the  wish  to  walk.  It  was  a  lovely  even- 
ing." 

"  Great  God ! "  the  Pasha  gasped,  with  eyes  up- 
turned. "  Does  anybody  walk  for  pleasure  here  in 
Egypt?  The  natives  have  a  proverb:  'Better 
ride  on  beetles  than  walk  upon  rich  carpets.'  Well, 
well,  there ! "  He  shrugged  as  giving  up  a  hope- 
less puzzle.  "  You  walked.  A  lady  dressed  as  you 
were  had  never  been  seen  walking  in  this  world  be- 
fore. More  than  that,  you  did  not  walk  like  other 
people.  Ghandur  informs  me  that  the  rascals  who 
beset  you  were  all  persuaded  that  you  were  a  man 
dressed  up.  You  say  you  walked  for  pleasure  in 
the  dust  ?  —  and  in  a  habbarah  ?  Astonishing ! 

"  So,  you  see  now.     Yusuf  was  not  angry  alto- 


102  VEILED  WOMEN 

gether  without  cause.  I  trust  you  will  not  now 
esteem  it  necessary  to  see  the  Consul,  and  produce 
a  scandal  which  I  think  would  kill  me." 

Thoroughly  disgusted  with  her  whole  behaviour, 
Barakah  began  to  sob  again. 

"  I  never  truly  meant  to  go,"  she  blurted. 

"  I  thank  you  infinitely,"  said  the  Pasha  grandly, 
again  saluting  as  he  rose  to  go.  "  You  relieve  me  of 
a  terrible  anxiety.  Our  house  has  never  known 
the  breath  of  scandal.  .  .  .  But  pleasure!  —  you 
assure  me  that  you  walked  for  pleasure  ? "  he 
gasped,  reverting  to  the  former  wonder.  "  I  could 
understand  it  in  a  garden,  round  and  round.  But 
when  it  is  a  case  of  going  anywhere  —  Grand 
Dieu!" 

That  was  a  marvel  which  for  weeks  convulsed  the 
harim  world.  The  Pasha  mentioned  it  at  home. 
Within  an  hour  the  wondrous  news  was  known  to 
every  woman.  The  English  bride  of  Yusuf  Bey 
Muhammad  had  walked  from  such  a  house  to  such 
a  crossways,  all  in  thick  dust,  amid  the  crowd  of 
wayfarers  —  for  pleasure,  so  she  said !  Insanity, 
a  love  appointment  with  an  Englishman,  a  touch  of 
sunstroke,  the  insensibility  to  comfort  of  a  woman 
of  coarse  origin,  were  solutions  of  the  riddle  freely 
offered  and  discussed.  But  the  theory  which  found 
most  favour  for  its  probability  was  that  the  English- 
woman was  the  sport  of  some  malignant  wizard  or 
afrit,  who  made  her  walk  to  show  his  power  upon 
her. 


VEILED  WOMEN  103 

Leylah  Khanum  and  Gulbeyzah  were  the  first  to 
call  and  question  her  upon  the  strange  performance. 
They  asked  her  point-blank  why  she  had  walked; 
and  when  she  answered,  "  Just  for  exercise,"  they 
eyed  her  in  a  way  that  showed  they  thought  her 
mad.  Then  came  the  throng  of  mere  acquaintances, 
not  less  curious,  but  infinitely  too  polite  to  ask  a 
question;  who  watched  for  symptoms  of  derange- 
ment through  the  flow  of  compliments.  The  elderly 
princess,  Aminah  Khanum,  alone  showed  understand- 
ing and  some  sympathy. 

"  My  dear,"  she  said,  "  you've  set  the  parrots 
talking.  Do  you  know  that  *  durrah,'  which  means 
fellow-wife,  means  parrot  too?  Bear  that  in  mind. 
Their  tongues !  — •  They  fail  to  comprehend.  They 
think  you  are  bewitched  or  mad.  For  me,  your 
conduct  was  entirely  natural.  But  I  fancy  you  will 
give  up  walking  here  in  Egypt.  Were  not  your 
clothes  a  mass  of  dust  beneath  your  habbarah? 
Whenever  you  are  in  a  difficulty,  come  to  me.  I 
have  some  jurisdiction,  and  I  wish  you  happy." 

Barakah  was  far  from  happy  in  those  days.  For 
one  thing,  she  had  felt  the  bars  confining  her.  And 
then  a  vision  of  the  English  sneering  lurked  ever  in 
the  background  of  her  mind,  a  fount  of  gall.  With 
Yusuf  she  was  once  more  upon  loving  terms,  and  any 
differences  that  arose  between  them  came  from  her 
ill-temper.  She  was  growing  irritable.  The  food, 
too  highly  spiced,  did  not  agree  with  her;  the  sani- 
tary arrangements  were  disgusting;  she  noticed  fail- 


104  VEILED  WOMEN 

ings  not  observed  before,  particularly  in  the  be- 
haviour of  the  servants  to  her. 

At  first,  on  coming  to  that  nest  of  love,  released 
from  the  restrictions  of  a  great  harim,  her  slave- 
girls  had  been  lazy,  but  obsequious.  At  that  time 
the  old  woman  had  commanded  them,  relieving  Bar- 
akah,  whose  little  knowledge  of  the  language  would 
have  placed  her  at  their  mercy.  But  now  the  crone 
had  been  dismissed;  the  servants,  with  respect  di- 
minished by  the  quarrel  they  had  witnessed,  were 
grown  insolent  and  off-hand  in  their  service.  The 
child  Fatumah,  who  had  been  a  pet  with  Barakah, 
made  rude  grimaces  and  ran  off  when  called. 

One  hot  midday,  feeling  extremely  ill,  she  called 
for  water.  There  came  no  answer,  though  she  heard 
them  chattering.  She  called  again  and  clapped  her 
hands.  Still  no  one  came.  The  cruelty  of  such 
neglect  incensed  her.  With  fevered  strength  she 
rose  and  went  to  scold  them.  She  met  a  slave  ar- 
riving at  her  leisure.  At  the  words,  "  Ready,  O  my 
lady ! "  proffered  with  an  undisguised  yawn,  she 
sprang  upon  the  girl  and  clutched  her  throat,  ex- 
claiming: "  Bring  water,  dost  thou  hear,  O  daugh- 
ter of  a  dog !  Bring  water  quickly !  " 

The  slave,  beholding  murder  in  the  lady's  eyes, 
made  haste  and  ran.  Another  girl  looked  in  to  learn 
the  reason  of  the  noise.  Barakah  picked  up  an 
earthen  jar  and  flung  it  at  her  head.  The  change 
was  magical.  In  a  trice  five  several  vessels  full  of 
water  were  being  offered  to  her  by  as  many  servile 


VEILED  WOMEN  105 

creatures ;  while  Fatumah  snuggled  up  to  her  and 
kissed  her  hand,  receiving  in  return  a  box  on  the 
ear,  which  made  her  howl  the  praises  of  her  dear, 
kind  mistress. 

When  Barakah  returned  to  her  own  room  she 
fainted,  her  borrowed  strength  departing  with  her 
wrath.  The  servants,  in  a  flutter  of  solicitude,  put 
her  to  bed,  and  sent  Ghandur  to  fetch  the  master. 
She,  knowing  nothing  of  the  flight  of  time,  heard 
presently,  as  in  a  dream,  the  Pasha  saying: 

"  Call  a  European  doctor  1  That  dog  must  know 
that  she  has  had  the  best  attendance ! "  and  Yusuf 
weeping  uncontrollably.  Then  the  next  minute,  as 
it  seemed  to  her,  an  English  voice  above  her  mut- 
tered :  "  Typhoid !  Bound  to  come,  with  native 
food."  That  was  the  last  she  knew. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

GHANDUR  had  borne  the  summons  to  the  Frankish 
doctor.  Having  delivered  it,  he  wandered  to  the 
Pasha's  house.  A  creature  witless  save  for  love,  ex- 
isting by  it,  the  kindness  shown  him  by  the  lady 
Barakah  had  raised  her  to  the  throne  of  Yusuf  in 
his  mind.  Her  freak  of  walking  had  imparted  to  his 
sentiments  that  touch  of  pity  for  one  too  innocent 
to  face  the  world  which  makes  of  service  an  angelic 
trust.  He  blamed  himself  for  the  adventure.  When 
he  heard  that  she  was  in  disgrace  and  looking  wan, 
he  beat  his  breast.  Now  that  she  was  like  to  die 
through  his  demerits,  his  grief  was  such  as  caused 
him  actual  pains. 

Upon  arriving  at  Muhammad  Pasha's  house,  be- 
fore he  could  divulge  his  woe,  he  was  informed: 

"  The  lady  Fitnah  has  been  asking  for  thee.  Go 
indoors,  and  wait  while  they  announce  thee !  " 

He  was  standing  in  the  hall,  cocooned  in  sorrow, 
when  a  mob  of  children  burst  through  the  mabeyn, 
as  the  great  screen  which  bounds  the  women's  realm 
is  called,  and  fell  upon  him. 

"  Oh,  Ghandur,  where  hast  thou  been  ?  " — "  I  have 
a  new  tarbush." — "  The  bitch  beneath  our  windows 
has  five  puppies  —  blind,  by  Allah's  mercy !  Come 

106 


VEILED  WOMEN  107 

and  see ! " — "  My  doll !  Like  a  daughter  of  Adam 
—  a  bride  arrayed  —  a  virgin  —  almost  a  sin  for 
thee  to  look  on !  Come  and  see !  " 

Half  weeping  as  he  was,  Ghandur  responded ;  and, 
unaware  of  his  preoccupation,  the  children  led  him 
towards  the  women's  doorway. 

"  Go  in  as  far  as  to  the  second  screen  —  no  far- 
ther !  "  said  the  eunuch  there  on  guard. 

Ghandur  was  careful  to  obey ;  but  his  attendant 
imps,  regarding  all  authority  as  ground  for  sport, 
banded  together  suddenly  and  dragged  him  on.  He 
shook  them  off  and  drew  back  quickly ;  the  eunuch 
came  and  scattered  them  with  swishing  cane;  and 
then  the  children,  tumbling  over  one  another,  began 
to  fight  among  themselves  with  fearful  insults. 

"  By  my  maidenhood,  I  swear  to  kill  thee  and  de- 
vour thy  liver ! "  screamed  out  a  girl  of  eight  to  a 
small  boy  who  pushed  against  her. 

"  I  will  ravish  thee,  abandoned  one,  and  then  eject 
thee  on  a  dunghill !  " 

The  lady  Fitnah  from  behind  the  screen  cried  out 
for  order,  naming  Hamdi,  her  own  son,  as  probably 
the  cause  of  tumult.  The  eunuch  fell  upon  that  way- 
ward, dreamy  adolescent,  whom  Ghandur  did  his  ut- 
most to  protect,  for  he  was  YusuPs  brother;  while 
Fitnah  Khanum  asked  what  sin  she  had  committed 
to  be  punished  with  a  boy  so  lazy  and  so  mischievous. 
She  cared  for  Hamdi,  but  without  indulgence.  Her 
love  was  made  a  whip-lash  for  his  good.  At  last 
came  silence,  and  Ghandur  poured  forth  his  grief. 


108  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  O  Lord,  have  mercy !  Woe  upon  us  all !  O 
most  gracious  lady,  rare  pearl  of  beauty  and  re- 
finement, companion  of  my  dearest  lord  and  brother! 
Behold  the  glory  of  our  house  is  in  the  dust." 

"By  Allah,  in  the  dust!  Thou  sayest  truly!" 
scoffed  the  lady  Fitnah.  "  It  is  of  that  very  busi- 
ness that  I  wish  to  speak  with  thee.  What  is  the 
truth  about  her  walking  in  the  dust,  thou  who  wast 
with  her?  Is  it  true  that  she  had  been  alone  with 
Frankish  men  ?  Was  no  man  following  —  didst  thou 
look  well?  —  when  she  walked  off  alone,  rejecting 
thee?  Was  not  her  chin  upon  her  shoulder,  and  her 
gaze  behind  her,  ogling?  Did  I  not  well  to  rail 
against  that  marriage?  Now  it  is  clearly  proven 
that  she  has  no  modesty." 

"  O  my  despair !  O  evil  day !  The  fault  is 
mine !  "  cried  out  Ghandur,  beside  himself.  "  Blame 
not  her  Grace ;  she  is  the  noblest  lady  —  as  innocent 
as  is  a  babe;  she  thinks  no  evil.  O  bitter  grief! 

0  Allah !     O  calamity !  " 

"  Now  Allah  heal  thee !  It  is  plain  she  has  be- 
witched thee  too.  She  is  for  all  men,  like  the  rest 
of  her  foul  race  —  for  strangers,  servants,  donkey- 
drivers,  even  scavengers!  Pray,  pray  to  God  till 

1  bestow  on  thee  a  charm  of  power !  " 

"  Hush !  Let  him  speak !  Let  Ghandur  tell  his 
story ! "  cried  a  second  voice.  Ghandur  became 
aware  of  other  ladies  pressing  to  the  screen.  He 
lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept. 

"  O   lady,   speak  no  bitterness   against   her.      She 


VEILED  WOMEN  109 

lies  this  moment  at  the  point  of  death.  Our  house 
is  as  a  tomb,  a  haunt  of  ominous  owls.  My  lord  the 
Pasha  frowns  and  looks  distressful;  my  lord  Yiisuf 
weeps  as  if  his  heart  would  break,  t  myself  have 
been  to  call  a  Frankish  doctor,  who,  on  reading  my 
lord's  message,  rode  off  like  the  wind.  Allah  knows 
the  dear  one  may  be  dead  this  minute !  " 

He  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  while  a  hubbub 
of  concern  arose  behind  the  screen. 

"  O  poor  darling  floweret !  O  despair ! "  wailed 
Yusuf's  mother,  all  her  feelings  turned  right  round. 
"  What  is  her  illness  ?  Quick,  describe !  May  Al- 
lah heal  her !  " 

"  Fever  —  the  worst  sort !  " 

"  I  go  at  once  to  her." 

A  sick-nurse  of  experience  in  charms  and  nos- 
trums, the  lady  Fitnah  always  quickened  to  the  scent 
of  illness  and  adored  the  sufferer.  From  a  creature 
hardly  to  be  named  by  modest  lips,  the  wife  of  Yiisuf 
was  become  the  apple  of  her  eye.  Having  sent  an 
order  for  the  carriage,  she  went  through  her  store  of 
medicines,  discoursing  wisely  to  the  other  ladies; 
while  Ghandur,  retiring,  heard  from  the  attendant 
eunuch : 

"  Thou  hast  done  it !  We  had  word  of  this ;  Saw- 
wab  was  summoned.  But  the  command  was,  not  to 
tell  the  ladies." 

He  could  only  shrug. 

Illness,  like  death  and  birth,  was  woman's  great 
occasion,  when,  guarding  the  traditions,  she  stood 


110  VEILED  WOMEN 

forth  as  priestess.  The  whole  harim  was  in  a  flutter 
of  excitement. 

"  Gulbeyzah  must  come  with  us,"  pronounced  Fit- 
nah  Khanum,  "  because  our  poor  sick  darling  al- 
ways loved  her." 

The  ladies  Fitnah  and  Murjanah,  the  Pasha's 
widowed  sister  and  two  nieces,  goodly  persons,  to- 
gether with  the  well-grown,  plump  Gulbeyzah,  and 
a  bundle  of  medicaments,  including  a  whole  plant 
of  garlic  and  a  donkey's  thigh-bone,  were  all  packed 
somehow  into  one  close  carriage.  The  sun  was  set- 
ting when  they  reached  the  pleasure-house.  The 
eunuch  went  to  herald  their  arrival ;  and  all  the  ladies, 
nothing  doubting  of  their  glad  reception,  freed  them- 
selves from  the  crushed  mass  they  formed  together. 
They  were  shaking  out  and  smoothing  crumpled  rai- 
ment when  the  messenger  returned  to  say  they  were 
refused  admittance  by  the  doctor's  orders.  The 
ladies  stood  stone-still  and  looked  at  one  another. 
Fitnah  Khanum  broke  the  silence. 

"  This  is  our  son's  house !  May  Allah  slay  the 
doctor !  Come,  my  sisters !  " 

Just  then  Sawwab,  chief  eunuch  of  the  guard,  ap- 
peared, and  barred  the  entrance  with  the  word  "  For- 
bidden !  " 

"  Whose  order,   say  ?  " 

"  The  order  of  our  lord." 

"  Praise  to  Allah !  That  is  better  than  the  doc- 
tor. To  hear  is  to  obey,  though  Allah  knows  that 


VEILED  WOMEN  111 

the  command  is  wicked  and  against  religion.  Tell 
thy  master  we  shall  lay  a  case  before  the  Cadi." 

With  this  menace,  which  afforded  her  some  satis- 
faction, Fitnah  Khanum  turned  back  towards  the  car- 
riage; and  the  work  of  packing  those  redundant 
bodies  was  performed  anew. 

"Heard  one  ever  the  like?  To  hide  our  dearest 
from  us  at  the  point  of  death!  To  keep  a  mother 
from  a  daughter's  sick-bed  —  a  woman  from  a 
woman !  O  Protector !  " 

The  incident,  when  known,  incensed  the  harim 
world.  The  sick-room  had  been  woman's  temple 
from  of  old.  To  be  forbidden  access  to  the  bedside 
of  a  near  relation  appeared  an  outrage,  even  to  the 
calm  Murjanah.  The  indignation  of  the  slaves  was 
riotous.  The  injured  ladies  received  many  visits  of 
condolence,  when  Fitnah  Khanum's  lamentations  were 
applauded  as  the  voice  of  right. 

"  O  cruelty,"  she  sobbed.  "  To  keep  us  from  our 
darling,  when  she  has  most  need  of  us !  The  Frank- 
ish  doctors  are  all  monsters,  hearts  of  stone.  It  is 
known  that  they  snatch  dying  people  from  their 
friends,  to  practise  on  them,  omitting  even  to  return 
the  bodies  afterwards.  They  may  have  skill,  but 
many  things  they  know  not,  being  infidels.  The  pain 
I  suffer  when  I  think  of  that  sweet  girl  —  the  very 
liver  of  my  darling  Yusuf  —  lying  senseless,  an 
emptv  house  for  any  demon  to  inhabit,  and  not  a 
charm  put  up  for  her  protection,  is  excruciating!" 


112  VEILED  WOMEN 

It  is  characteristic  of  the  harim  life,  that,  though 
the  ladies  were  thus  irritated,  near  rebellion,  no  clear 
word  of  their  grievance  reached  the  Pasha's  ear. 
There  is  a  wall  between  the  woman  and  the  man  more 
real  than  the  mabeyn  screen  which  man  erects.  The 
women  raise  it  to  secure  their  privileges;  the  man,  if 
he  perceives  it,  cannot  throw  it  down.  His  anger 
meets  with  a  subservience  which  foils  its  aim  as  surely 
as  loose  sheets  will  stop  a  bullet.  Even  Murjanah, 
who  adored  the  Pasha,  kept  the  harim  secret. 

Fitnah  Khanum  had  foretold  that  Barakah  would 
die,  thanks  to  the  ministrations  of  the  Frankish  doc- 
tor. When  she  heard  that  she  was  fast  recovering, 
she  gave  praise  to  Allah,  who  had  saved  her  life  in 
spite  of  them.  From  wishing  well  to  the  sick  woman, 
she  had  grown  to  love  her  with  all  the  strength  of  her 
impulsive,  loyal  nature. 

The  love  she  bore  to  Yusuf  was  eclipsed.  His 
neglect  of  her  for  weeks  was  scarcely  noticed. 
When  at  last  he  did  appear,  haggard  but  joyful,  her 
"  Praise  to  Allah "  was  upon  his  wife's  account. 
She  made  him  tell  her  every  detail  of  the  doctor's 
treatment,  and  vowed  it  was  a  miracle  the  girl  sur- 
vived it.  From  him  she  learnt  the  reason  of  the 
Pasha's  deference  to  every  edict  of  that  ignoramus. 
The  English  Consul  had  his  eye  upon  the  house, 
watching  to  note  that  all  was  done  correctly. 

"  Consume  the  Consul ! "  she  exclaimed  peremp- 
torily. 


VEILED  WOMEN  113 

"  Our  Lord  consume  him  utterly !  "  said  Yusuf . 
"  Yet  for  one  boon  I  have  to  thank  him.  My  father, 
to  propitiate  him,  gives  command  that  I  shall  visit 
Paris  in  the  summer  with  my  bride." 

"  Allah  forbid !  "  his  mother  screamed  in  horror. 
"  Our  pearl  of  pearls  to  be  exposed  to  vulgar  han- 
dling, to  be  cast  back  into  the  mire  from  which  she 
was  with  pains  extracted!  Thou  wilt  not  suffer  her 
to  go  unveiled?  For  shame,  O  Yusuf!  To  let  foul 
infidels  survey  thy  secret  joy." 

"  Nay,  she  will  veil  her  face  as  the  Frenchwomen 
use." 

"  Those  veils  are  nothing,  for  the  mouth  is  visible." 

"  Our  ladies  wear  them  in  that  country  to  avoid 
publicity.  Be  reassured,  my  mother;  we  shall  guard 
the  decencies.  My  father  grumbles  greatly  at  the 
cost,  but  vows  that  he  will  show  the  Consul  we  are 
not  fanatical.  We  go  to  see  the  dog  to-morrow,  to 
tell  him  all  that  we  have  done  for  her." 

But  on  the  morrow  Yusuf  and  his  father  met  with 
cruel  disconcertion.  The  Consul  welcomed  them  and 
listened  to  their  story  with  politeness,  but  at  its  end 
he  murmured  blandly: 

"  I  altogether  fail  to  see  how  this  concerns  me, 
though  highly  honored  by  your  visit  and  your  con- 
fidence. The  lady  is,  no  doubt,  extremely  fortu- 
nate." 

Muhammad  Pasha,  flushing  hotly,  licked  his  lips 
as  might  a  panther,  and  glanced  sidelong  at  his  son. 
He  offered  a  profusion  of  excuses  as  he  rose  to  go. 


114  VEILED  WOMEN 

The  Consul  answered,  "  Always  charmed ! "  and 
smiled  them  out. 

"  May  the  All-Powerful  corrupt  his  bones  and 
blind  him!  May  the  All-Merciful  frustrate  his 
heart's  desire !  "  exclaimed  the  Pasha  as  the  two  re- 
gained their  carriage.  "  It  seems  he  has  deceived 
us,  has  renounced  all  claim.  Here  have  I  spent  more 
than  I  can  afford  —  coined  money,  hard  to  come  by 
—  what  with  her  establishment,  this  doctor  and  the 
nursing,  and  that  trip  to  Paris,  which  cannot  now  be 
dropped,  for  I  have  boasted  of  it;  and  lo!  the  dog 
cares  nothing  for  my  trouble.  May  his  limbs  rot 
off!" 

"  May  Allah  cut  his  life ! "  said  Yusuf  savagely. 

The  women  never  heard  that  tale  of  shame. 


CHAPTER    XV 

WITH  the  return  of  reason  a  new  spirit  came  to 
Barakah.  At  the  moment  of  her  seizure  she  had 
been  exasperated  with  her  Eastern  life.  She  awoke 
to  rapture  in  it,  to  impatience  of  the  European  nurse 
and  doctor.  The  smell  of  them,  as  they  leaned  over 
her,  was  an  offence;  their  voices  jarred  so  that  often 
she  would  hide  her  head  beneath  the  bed-clothes  to 
shut  out  the  sound. 

On  the  other  hand,  she  listened  eagerly  to  noises 
out  of  doors  —  the  creak  of  the  shaduf  which  tipped 
up  water  on  the  garden,  the  camel-bells,  the  chant 
of  passing  funerals;  she  watched  the  sunlight  stud 
with  gems  the  inky  lacework  of  her  lattice,  and 
eagerly  inhaled  the  breeze  which  entered;  and 
Yusuf's  daily  visits  were  her  joy.  In  the  forest  of 
distorted  memories  through  which  her  soul  had  wan- 
dered friendless  like  a  ragged  child,  the  Europeans 
she  encountered  had  reviled  her;  the  love  of  Yusuf 
and  his  people  had  been  all  her  hope. 

In  the  hunger  which  distressed  her  convalescence, 
the  growing  disaffection  for  a  diet  all  of  milk,  her 
fancy  pictured  feasts  of  Eastern  dishes,  English 
cookery  appearing  loathsome  in  the  memory. 
Strangest  of  all,  she  could  now  think  in  Arabic,  of 

115 


116  VEILED  WOMEN 

which,  before  her  illness,  she  had  scarce  a  sentence. 

As  soon  as  she  had  licence  to  see  visitors,  the 
Pasha's  harim  came  in  force  to  greet  her.  The  lady 
Fitnah  fell  upon  her  in  a  transport  of  affection,  and 
she  responded  with  entire  abandonment,  thankful  to 
have  at  last  the  love  of  Yusuf's  mother.  The  elderly 
princess,  Aminah  Khanum,  and  other  ladies  of  im- 
portance, paid  her  visits  and,  as  her  health  improved, 
carried  her  off  to  their  own  houses  —  not  for  an 
hour,  but  for  whole  days  together.  There,  in  the 
perfumed  shade,  she  was  enthroned  with  cushions, 
fanned  and  sprinkled,  nourished  delicately,  and  sung 
to  sleep  when  she  showed  signs  of  weariness.  The 
sense  of  frailty  and  of  worth  was  exquisite.  She  was 
content  to  be  the  guarded  pet,  and  let  them  plan ;  re- 
garding them  as  beings  of  a  higher  race,  with  whom 
it  would  be  vanity  to  try  to  cope.  Their  freedom 
frdm  the  sentimental  mists  of  Europe  helped  this 
feeling,  and  so  did  their  bold  vision  of  existence, 
blinking  nothing.  The  potential  cruelty  which 
lurked  beneath  their  gentleness  subdued  her;  the  way 
they  talked  of  death  habitually  made  her  feel  a 
timid  child. 

Thus,  with  the  body  pampered  and  the  mind  en- 
slaved, she  studied  and  observed  their  life,  completely 
fascinated.  The  world  of  women  was,  she  found,  a 
great  republic,  with  liberties  extending  to  the  mean- 
est slave,  and  something  of  the  strength  which  comes 
of  solidarity.  Unless  in  jealous  fury,  no  woman 
would  inform  against  another,  bond  or  free;  nor  fail 


VEILED  WOMEN  117 

to  help  her  in  the  hour  of  need.  They  had  their 
shibboleths,  their  customs,  rites,  and  ceremonies, 
even  their  courts  of  justice,  independent  of  the  world 
of  men.  Each  lady  owning  slaves  controlled  them 
absolutely.  Her  husband  never  saw  their  faces, 
hardly  knew  them.  The  law  against  his  making  love 
among  them,  except  by  her  command,  was  very  dras- 
tic. The  child  of  such  a  union  would  have  been  her 
slave.  If  he  required  a  concubine,  he  had  to  buy, 
not  steal  one.  So  sacred  with  the  Muslims  was  the 
married  woman's  right  to  property  —  a  right  which 
was  not  recognised  at  all  in  England.  Occasionally 
Barakah  heard  talk  of  cruelties  which  chilled  her 
blood ;  but  her  friends  excused  them  on  the  ground  of 
anger,  which  was  for  them  a  visitation  from  on  high. 
The  very  victims,  they  assured  her,  never  felt  as  she 
did. 

One  feature  of  the  harim  life  which  shocked  her 
was  the  equalling  of  black  with  white.  The  Muslim 
faith  disowning  all  race  prejudice,  a  strain  of  negro 
blood  appeared  in  the  best  families ;  and  any  negro 
having  fortune  was  esteemed  as  marriageable  as  the 
fairest  Turk.  Then  the  black  slaves,  though  less 
regarded  because  they  cost  less  than  the  white  Cir- 
cassians, possessed  great  influence,  particularly  in 
the  article  of  superstition,  which  they  quite  con- 
trolled. Weeds  from  the  heathen  Soudan,  brought 
to  Cairo  in  the  convoy  of  the  slave-dealer,  luxuriated 
in  that  tank  of  guarded  ignorance ;  and  many  an  en- 
lightened Muslim  would  have  died  of  horror  had  he 


118  VEILED  WOMEN 

known  the  works  of  darkness  countenanced  by  his 
harim  —  the  sacrifices  to  malignant  beings ;  the  ven- 
eration paid  to  hoary  negresses  for  demoniacal  pos- 
session ;  the  use  to  which  the  name  of  God  was  some- 
times put.  To  Barakah,  however,  in  those  early 
days,  such  fancies  —  what  she  heard  of  them  — 
seemed  merely  comic.  She  ranked  them  with  the 
women's  playfulness,  their  funny  stories.  She  was 
enamoured  of  their  life  as  she  conceived  it,  enslaved 
and  thrilled  by  its  unblushing  candor.  This  was  the 
season  of  her  real  conversion,  which  reached  its  cli- 
max on  a  certain  morning,  when  she  was  carried  in  a 
guarded  litter  to  the  citadel  to  witness  the  departure 
of  the  yearly  pilgrimage.  From  a  place  reserved 
for  ladies  on  the  ramparts  she  beheld  the  troops,  the 
guilds  of  dervishes,  defile  before  the  Khedive's  tent, 
and  then  the  great  procession  wind  away.  Fanfares 
sounded,  cannons  roared,  and  from  the  multitude 
which  hid  the  square  and  covered  every  roof  and  bal- 
cony in  sight,  beading  with  heads  the  very  summits 
of  the  citadel,  a  sigh  went  up. 

Barakah  was  in  an  ecstasy.  When  her  eyes 
wearied  of  the  flash  and  movement,  she  surveyed  the 
vast  blue  sky,  the  coloured,  sun-lit  walls,  the  minarets 
where  doves  were  circling.  She  pictured  the  long 
journey  of  the  pilgrims,  on  the  shining  sea,  across 
the  burning  sands,  to  the  eternal  sanctuary.  What 
scene  in  Christian  Europe  could  be  matched  with 
this?  Religion,  but  a  mummy  there,  here  Uvetf  and 


VEILED  WOMEN  119 

Returning  home,  she  felt  a  craving  to  unbosom, 
and  bethought  her  of  a  girl  in  England,  once  her 
friend.  She  called  for  ink  and  pens,  and  wrote 
forthwith  to  Julia  Long,  recounting  her  changed 
fortunes,  and  extolling  Egypt.  She  described  the 
scene  she  had  that  morning  witnessed,  and  concluded : 

"  Julia  darling,  you  will  think  it  strange,  but  I 
am  sure  that  this  religion  is  the  true  one.  Here 
every  woman  has  a  chance  to  marry,  and  the  acci- 
dents of  wealth  and  birth  are  not  the  barriers  they 
are  at  home.  Polygamy  is  not  at  all  what  people 
think.  The  Moslems  are  as  strict  as  Puritans  about 
morality ;  and  the  women  here  are  happier  than  those 
at  home.  Europe  has  gone  all  wrong,  and  so  has 
Christianity.  Here  we  believe  in  Jesus  just  as  you 
do :  we  know  that  His  religion  is  the  true  one ;  but 
St.  Paul  and  others  after  him  corrupted  it.  Do 
think  of  this,  and  learn  about  Mahometanism.  I 
would  give  anything  that  you  might  find  the  happi- 
ness that  I  have  found.  My  husband  will  be  tak- 
ing me  to  Paris  at  the  end  of  June.  Do  try  and  join 
us  there.  We  will  pay  all  expenses. 

"  With  true  affection  from  your  old  friend 

{Madame  Yousouf  Bey  Mohamed, 
c/o  Mohamed  Pasha  Salih, 
Cairo,  Egypt." 

This  letter  was  read  out  to  Yusuf  in  the  evening. 
He  applauded  it,  and  vowed  she  had  a  natural  gift 
of  eloquence.  He  asked  for  a  minute  description  of 


120  VEILED  WOMEN 

her  friend,  seeming  much  pleased  to  think  that  they 
would  meet  in  Paris ;  and  when  Barakah  had  satisfied 
him  to  the  best  of  her  remembrance,  chuckled: 

"  And  you  love  her?  Then  you  would  not  object 
to  have  her  for  your  durrah !  " 

She  warned  him  archly  that  she  could  be  jealous. 

Barakah  called  often  on  the  lady  Fitnah,  who  just 
now  was  in  high  feather,  having  been  commissioned 
by  Murjanah  Khanum  to  find  out  a  husband  for  the 
latter's  slave,  Gulbeyzah.  At  once  she  sent  out  go- 
betweens  in  all  directions,  threads  of  a  gigantic  web, 
in  which  she  sat  and  waited.  Flies  soon  came  — 
ladies  with  eligible  sons  or  husbands  needing  matri- 
mony —  whose  claims  the  shrewd  Egyptian  sifted, 
smelling  out  the  slightest  fraud.  Barakah  was  in- 
terested in  these  doings,  naturally,  seeing  they  con- 
cerned the  welfare  of  her  closest  friend. 

Murjanah  Khanum  wished  to  emancipate  a  charm- 
ing slave  and  place  her  in  a  good  position,  at  the 
same  time  seeking  some  remuneration  for  her  previ- 
ous outlay.  She  appointed  Fitnah  Khanum  her  in- 
tendant.  Those  were  the  naked  facts.  But  the 
word  "  price  "  was  never  mentioned  in  discussion  of 
the  subject;  it  was  always  "  dowry,"  of  which  a  third 
part  would  be  paid,  of  course,  to  the  bride's  people. 
Gulbeyzah  was  referred  to  as  a  cherished  daughter 
of  the  house;  her  wishes  were  consulted  with  regard 
to  each  proposal;  and  no  one  was  annoyed  when  she 
seemed  hard  to  please. 

"  Thou    art    like    Leylah    Khanum,"    whispered 


VEILED  WOMEN 

Barakah.  "  Thou  wilt  choose  and  choose  away  till 
none  are  left." 

"  By  no  means,"  was  the  laughing  answer.  "  I 
am  a  young  maid.  Moreover,  it  is  not  the  man  I 
stickle  for;  it  is  society." 

Whenever  ladies  whom  she  did  not  choose  came  to 
inspect  her,  Gulbeyzah  donned  a  rustic  air  and  talked 
to  shock  them.  Barakah  had  no  idea  of  what  she 
meant  when  saying  she  required  society,  until  one 
day  she  told  her: 

"Praise  to  Allah!  Only  think,  beloved!  Three 
Circassians,  young  like  me,  from  the  same  district! 
Their  lord  —  a  Pasha  of  the  richest  —  wants  an- 
other like  them.  They  are  gratified.'  I  have  been 
recommended.  They  come  to-day  for  my  inspection. 
Thou  shalt  see  them  presently,  as  also  a  Gulbeyzah 
no  one  ever  saw  before.  O  day  of  milk!  O  wave- 
crest  of  all  days !  " 

Barakah  had  been  summoned  by  the  ladies  and 
a  carriage  sent  for  her.  Gulbeyzah  had  waylaid  her 
on  the  way  to  the  reception-room. 

"But  what  of  the  man  —  the  husband?"  she  in- 
quired. 

"  Splendid !  Rich  and  generous ;  impartial  as  the 
prophet  in  division  of  his  favours.  If  God  wills,  I 
shall  bear  him  children.  What  more  could  girl  re- 
quire ?  Think  —  four  of  us,  like  sisters !  Four 
pearls  strung  together,  and  inseparable!  Thou  wilt 
visit  us,  and  we  shall  all  four  love  thee  dearly.  O 
joy!  Now  go!  I  will  rejoin  thee  presently." 


122  VEILED  WOMEN 

The  clack  of  tongues  was  heard  from  the  recep- 
tion-room. Before  the  door  stood  rows  of  coloured 
slippers.  All  the  dependants  of  the  household,  all 
the  go-betweens,  had  rallied  to  support  the  ladies  on 
a  great  occasion.  Hardly  had  Barakah  concluded 
greetings  ere  the  three  Circassians  were  announced. 
They  were  all  charming,  and  all  bore,  she  fancied, 
some  resemblance  to  Gulbeyzah  in  their  child-like 
faces  and  huge  eyes.  They  had  pretty,  deferential 
manners,  seeming  to  speak  by  pre-arrangement  and 
to  think  in  concert,  obedient  to  some  rule  which 
bound  them,  just  like  nuns.  They  were  still  amid 
the  storm  of  formal  compliments  when  Gulbeyzah 
entered  clad  in  soft  apparel,  and  paused  as  if  in  awe 
at  finding  strangers.  Then,  blushingly,  she  went  and 
kissed  their  hands,  going  on  to  kiss  the  hands  of 
all  the  ladies  present.  In  so  doing  she  gave  Barakah 
a  little  bite,  and  when  her  tour  was  ended  sank  down 
humbly  at  her  feet. 

"  They  will  unmask  thee.  Thou  canst  never  keep 
this  up  for  life,"  the  Englishwoman  whispered. 

"  By  Allah !  only  look !  "  was  the  reply.  "  They 
too  are  acting.  See  now,  the  plump  one:  there  is 
inward  mirth." 

The  visitors,  impressed  by  her  demeanour,  put 
certain  questions,  which  she  answered  to  the  point. 
It  appeared  that  she  could  dance  and  sing;  spoke 
Turkish,  Arabic,  and  some  Armenian.  At  mention 
of  French  also,  they  raised  hands  and  eyes,  declaring 
her  a  perfect  prodigy.  They  then  addressed  her  in 


VEILED  WOMEN  123 

their  native  dialect,  when  sudden  smiles  broke  up 
their  shy  decorum.  Turning  to  the  hostesses,  they 
asked  forgiveness  for  employing  private  speech. 
They  had  but  asked  the  dear  one  of  her  native  vil- 
lage, and  smiled  to  hear  that  it  adjoined  their  own. 
They  begged  for  leave  to  call  again,  which  meant  the 
bargain  was  acceptable;  and  then  withdrew  with 
every  blessing  on  the  house. 

No  sooner  had  they  vanished  than  Gulbeyzah 
threw  off  her  demureness  and  performed  with  energy 
a  naughty  dance  which  terminated  in  a  sudden  swoop 
to  clasp  Murjanah  Khanum's  feet.  Her  mistress 
bent  and  kissed  her  forehead  tenderly ;  the  lady  Fit- 
nah  was  convulsed  with  glee;  the  humbler  women 
gave  forth  wedding-cries.  And  the  cause  of  all  this 
joy,  the  object  of  that  motherly  consideration,  was 
a  slave!  In  Europe,  people  thought  of  slaves  as 
miserable.  Here  was  a  story  to  be  told  to  Julia 
Long. 

"  O  disappointment !  Thou  wilt  be  in  Paris ! 
Thou  wilt  miss  my  wedding !  "  cried  Gulbeyzah  sud- 
denly. "  Yusuf  Bey  should  take  some  low  girl  with 
him  since  he  needs  must  go.  It  is  sinful  to  expose 
thy  worth  to  risks  of  travel." 

"Have  I  not  told  him?"  cried  the  lady  Fitnah. 
"  The  world  will  be  quite  black  when  she  is  gone.  A 
girl  for  whom  his  father  paid  three  thousand  pounds. 
It  is  absurd  to  fling  her  into  boats  and  filthy  trains." 

Barakah  smiled  at  their  desire  to  keep  her,  think- 
ing with  rapture  of  the  coming  talks  with  Julia. 


VEILED  WOMEN 

She  had  not  then  had  Julia's  answer  to  her  letter. 
It  arrived  within  a  fortnight  of  the  time  of  starting. 

".  .  .  How  can  you  write  such  wickedness?  .  .  . 
I  heard  that  you  had  married  a  Turk,  but  thought 
of  course  he  was  converted.  ...  I  do  not  envy 
you  your  riches  nor  your  rank  at  such  a  price !  .  .  . 
No,  I  will  not  join  you  in  Paris,  and  abet  you  in  your 
infamy.  I  banish  your  most  impious  suggestions 
from  my  thoughts  for  ever.  ...  I  am  poor  and  shall 
remain  so;  but  I  have  incalculable  treasure.  .  .  ." 

She  crumpled  up  the  closely  written  sheets,  then 
flung  them  on  the  ground  and  stamped  upon  them. 
Yusuf  found  her  weeping  uncontrollably,  and  asked 
the  cause. 

"  Then  their  women  are  fanatical  like  ours !  "  he 
sighed  when  told.  "  Take  heart,  O  fountain  of  my 
life!  By  Allah,  such  a  friend  is  not  worth  weeping. 
We  will  none  the  less  enjoy  ourselves  in  Paris." 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  go  at  all,"  sobbed  Barakah. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

GHANDUR  attended,  Yusuf  in  the  train  to  Alexandria, 
and  accompanied  the  pair  on  board  the  steamer. 
Kissing  hands  at  parting  he  wept  uncontrollably, 
and  in  that  condition  was  propelled  by  sailors  to  the 
boat  awaiting  him.  Barakah  would  have  liked  to 
stand  and  watch  the  harbour,  which  offered  charm- 
ing pictures  in  the  evening  glow ;  but  Yusuf  drew  her 
down  into  a  stuffy  cabin,  where  he  left  her,  bidding 
her  secure  the  door  against  intrusion.  He  told  her 
she  must  take  her  meals  down  there,  since  there  was 
no  separate  dining-room  assigned  to  women.  Di- 
rectly afterwards  his  voice  resounded  in  the  corridor, 
with  others  talking  Arabic,  by  which  she  knew  that 
he  had  friends  on  board. 

A  stewardess  knocked  at  her  door,  bringing  her 
supper,  which  consisted  of  a  single  dish  of  meat  and 
vegetables.  By  then  the  pulse  of  engines  could  be 
felt;  there  was  a  noise  of  running  overhead,  shouts, 
and  the  clank  of  chains ;  the  ship  was  moving.  Hav- 
ing made  an  end  of  eating,  she  retired  to  bed  and, 
being  tired,  went  to  sleep  immediately.  The  slam- 
ming of  the  door  by  Yusuf  partly  roused  her.  She 
could  hear  him  swearing,  asking  Allah  to  be  put  on 
shore,  and  knew  that  he  was  sea-sick;  but  it  seemed 

125 


126  VEILED  WOMEN 

no  matter.  Next  morning,  as  the  sea  was  rather 
rough,  she  kept  her  bunk  until  eleven  o'clock,  when 
she  got  up  and  put  on  English  clothes  she  had 
brought  with  her.  Yusuf,  more  dead  than  living, 
asked  what  for. 

"  I  go  to  smell  the  air." 

He  sobbed :  "  With  face  exposed !  Behold  me 
dead,  while  dogs  defile  my  grave." 

Supposing  his  mind  wandered  —  for  she  wore  the 
English  veil  which  he  himself  had  said  would  be 
sufficient  after  leaving  Egypt  —  she  found  her  way 
on  to  the  deck  and  spent  an  hour  there,  pacing  up 
and  down,  enjoying  the  strong  wind.  When  she  re- 
turned to  Yusuf  he  was  inarticulate.  She  stayed 
with  him  until  the  evening,  when  she  went  on  deck 
again  for  a  few  minutes  before  turning  in.  It  was 
five  days  before  the  gale  abated. 

At  length  one  morning  they  awoke  to  ease  of 
movement,  and  Yusuf  rose.  His  smile  was  tentative 
at  first,  but  soon  grew  confident.  "  I  could  not  tell 
thee  for  my  sickness,"  he  informed  her,  "  but  there 
are  common  people  of  our  faith  on  board.  I  would 
not  have  their  talk  asperse  my  wife.  It  mattered 
less  while  I  myself  made  no  appearance.  No  doubt 
they  took  thee  for  some  Frankish  woman.  But  now 
keep  close  in  here.  Wait  till  we  get  to  Fransa." 

Without  waiting  for  her  answer,  he  went  out. 
But  in  a  minute  he  was  back  again,  exclaiming: 

"  The  wife  of  Hafiz  Bey,  my  friend,  lies  near  to 
death!  Come  thou  and  see  what  can  be  done  for  her, 


VEILED  WOMEN  127 

and  God  reward  thee!  Put  on  thy  habbarah.  My 
friend  will  guide  thee." 

It  was  the  first  time  he  had  spoken  of  his  friends 
to  her.  She  followed  him  and  was  presented  to  a 
fat,  good-tempered-looking  youth,  exceeding  swarthy, 
clad  in  a  European  suit  too  tight  for  him,  who  apol- 
ogized in  baby  French  for  thus  "  deranging "  her. 
He  opened  the  door  of  an  adjacent  cabin,  bowed  her 
in,  and  then  retreated  arm  in  arm  with  Yusuf. 

It  was  a  two-berth  cabin.  In  the  lower  bunk  a 
buxom  girl  of  eighteen  years  or  less  —  a  perfect 
blonde  —  lay  with  her  eyes  closed,  making  moan 
with  every  breath.  The  childish  face  was  flushed, 
discoloured  round  the  eyes  with  weeping;  the  hands 
clenched.  Whatever  her  complaint,  it  was  not  sea- 
sickness. 

"  How  is  thy  health  ?  "  the  visitor  asked  softly. 

"O  Lord!  I  die!  I  perish!  O  fresh  air!  O 
sun !  "  gasped  out  the  sufferer.  "  O  Allah !  Was  I 
born  a  fish  to  be  thus  thrown  upon  the  sea  —  a  snake, 
to  be  imprisoned  in  this  box?  " 

"  Be  brave !  The  voyage  is  now  almost  ended. 
In  two  days  or  three,  at  most,  we  are  released.  Tell 
me  thy  pains !  What  ails  thee  ?  " 

The  prostrate  beauty  opened  great  blue  eyes  of 
injured  innocence  and  asked:  "Who  art  thou?" 

"  I  am  the  wife  of  Yusuf  Bey,  thy  husband's 
friend." 

"  The  Englishwoman !  "  She  sat  up  and  clung  to 
Barakah.  "  How  canst  thou  bear  it,  thou,  an  hon- 


128  VEILED  WOMEN 

cured  wife!  Will  not  thy  parents  take  account  for 
the  indignity?  Oh,  end  my  life,  I  pray  thee;  it  is 
unendurable !  " 

Slowly,  by  force  of  patience,  Barakah  elicited 
that  the  girl,  by  name  Bedr-ul-Budur,  a  pet  slave 
of  the  mother  of  young  Hafiz  Bey,  had  been  pre- 
sented to  him  for  his  comfort  on  this  journey,  since 
his  bride,  of  high  ideas,  refused  to  travel.  She  had 
been  a  little  frightened  in  the  train,  a  new  experience, 
but  much  elated  till  she  came  on  board  this  ship  and 
felt  the  sea.  Then  she  realised  that  she  had  been 
beguiled,  defrauded,  enticed  to  an  undignified  and 
hideous  death.  Hiccuping  sobs  broke  in  upon  her 
narrative,  which  ended  in  a  storm  of  tears. 

Barakah  tried  to  soothe  her  mind  with  cheerful 
talk,  depicting  all  the  charms  of  life  in  Paris. 

"  Thy  voice  is  sweetness !  "  she  entreated.  "  Stay 
with  me !  Turn  out  my  consort :  let  him  house  with 
thine.  What  does  one  want  with  men  when  one  is 
dying?  » 

Going  out  on  that  injunction,  Barakah  found 
Hafiz  and  her  husband  waiting  close  at  hand.  The 
former,  greatly  scared  by  his  companion's  illness, 
was  prepared  for  any  sacrifice  to  save  her  life;  and 
Yusuf  raising  no  objection,  Barakah's  effects  were 
moved  into  the  other  cabin,  while  Hafiz  took  his 
baggage  to  the  "  house  of  Yusuf,"  as  he  called  it, 
jesting. 

Bedr-ul-Budur  gave  praise  to  Allah.     The  pres- 


VEILED  WOMEN  129 

ence  of  a  lady  of  acknowledged  standing  relieved 
her  of  the  sense  of  singular  and  base  ill-treatment, 
which  was  all  her  illness. 

At  length  the  ship  stood  still  and  filled  with  voices. 
It  was  night.  The  men  called  from  the  corridor 
to  warn  them  that  the  landing  would  take  place  at 
the  third  hour  next  morning.  Thus  bidden,  they 
took  out  their  Frankish  garments  and  compared 
them. 

Barakah's  were  old,  of  sober  hue.  Bedr-ul- 
Budur's  brand-new  and  something  garish.  They 
slept  but  little,  talking  through  the  night. 

When  Barakah  had  finished  dressing  in  the  early 
morning,  her  companion,  waking,  screamed  with 
horror  at  the  English  veil. 

"  Merciful  Allah !  It  is  dreadful.  It  hides  noth- 
ing. It  is  what  the  wantons  wear.  Wait  but  a 
minute !  I  have  more  than  one.  I  will  provide  thee. 
My  kind  princess  advised  me  what  was  right  to 
wear." 

Tumbling  out  of  her  berth,  Bedr-ul-Budur  found 
in  her  box  a  fold  of  thick  white  gauze,  which  she 
proceeded  to  throw  round  the  face  of  Barakah,  at- 
taching it  to  the  bonnet  with  two  little  brooches. 

"  By  Allah,  that  is  better ! "  she  remarked,  and 
then  gave  all  her  mind  to  her  own  dressing. 

When  this  was  finished,  her  appearance  smote  the 
eye.  Her  bonnet  was  sky-blue,  the  thick  white  veil 
depending  from  it  like  a  curtain,  her  dress  a  lively 
pink,  her  stockings  white,  her  boots  and  gloves  bright 


130  VEILED  WOMEN 

yellow,  shining  in  their  newness ;  she  had  a  pale  blue 
parasol  adorned  with  frills  of  lace. 

"  The  Franks  wear  many  colours,"  she  remarked 
to  Barakah,  adding  with  childish  wonder,  "  Why  are 
yours  so  dull?  .  .  .  By  Allah,  I  feel  naked  in  the 
middle." 

So  did  Barakah.  To  one  accustomed  to  go 
shrouded,  a  dress  which  emphasised  the  hips  and 
bust  seemed  vile  at  first. 

Yusuf  and  Hafiz  fetched  them  up  on  deck,  where 
they  found  two  more  ladies  garishly  arrayed,  and 
two  more  men  in  French-made  suits  and  fezes. 

After  the  introduction  all  stood  awkwardly,  gap- 
ing like  children  who  have  lost  remembrance  of  their 
part.  Barakah,  to  ease  the  strain,  remarked  to 
Hafiz  Bey  upon  the  beauty  of  the  morning,  the 
bustle  of  the  harbour  of  Marseilles ;  but  his  response 
was  marred  by  evident  embarrassment;  his  eyes  kept 
veering  round  to  look  at  Yusuf,  whom  he  soon  re- 
joined. The  ladies  formed  a  group  apart,  in  titters 
at  each  other's  odd  appearance.  Presently  a  man, 
clad  as  a  Frank,  approached  with  Arab  greetings. 
He  kissed  the  hand  of  Hafiz  Bey,  who  welcomed  him. 
It  seemed  he  had  been  warned  by  letter  to  prepare 
the  way  for  them. 

"  All  is  ready,  lords  of  bounty ! "  he  exclaimed. 
"  Deign  but  to  follow  me,  the  ladies  with  you." 

The  drive  along  the  quays  through  noisy  streets 
to  the  hotel,  the  breakfast  which  their  guide  assured 
them  had  been  cooked  and  chosen  in  accordance  with 


VEILED  WOMEN 

religious  law,  were  trammelled  by  constraint,  and 
went  off  sadly.  Only  in  the  train,  where  they  were 
separated,  each  sex  enjoying  a  reserved  compart- 
ment, did  conversation  flow.  Among  the  women  it 
was  soon  uproarious.  They  talked  and  laughed  half 
through  the  night,  appealing  constantly  to  Barakah, 
a  European  born,  for  information.  The  appearance 
of  the  men  at  every  station,  to  ascertain  that  they 
were  well,  produced  a  hush;  but  no  sooner  were  the 
despots  gone  again  than  the  mad  talk  and  laughter 
raged  anew. 

At  length  they  tired  and  tried  to  rest.  They 
cursed  the  narrowness  of  the  divans,  the  work  of 
devils.  When  morning  came,  Bedr-ul-Budur  was  at 
the  point  of  death  once  more,  asking  her  Maker  what 
she  had  done  to  earn  such  disrespectful  treatment; 
while  Barakah,  beside  the  window,  looking  out  at 
Christian  villages,  was  haunted  by  remembrance  and 
grew  sad. 

The  sun  had  long  been  up  when  they  reached 
Paris.  Yusuf  and  Hafiz,  Bedr-ul-Budur  and  Bara- 
kah, packed  in  one  cab,  were  driven  with  a  rattle 
through  tumultuous  streets  to  the  hotel  where  rooms 
had  been  engaged  for  them.  The  hostess,  a  stout 
woman  elegantly  dressed  in  black,  and  the  entire  staff 
stood  out  to  welcome  them.  The  woman  bowed  in- 
cessantly, adressing  Yusuf  and  his  friend  as  "  Mon- 
seigneur."  Finding  that  Barakah  knew  French  she 
drew  to  her  and  poured  a  smooth  flow  of  amenities 
into  her  ear. 


VEILED  WOMEN 

"  Madame  has  only  to  command  —  all  that  she 
desires.  The  nobility  of  the  Orient  are  our  most 
valued  clients.  Should  madame  require  conversa- 
tion, I  am  always  at  her  service.  The  princes  come 
to  Paris  for  diversion,  that  is  understood.  Young 
men  so  rich !  They  must  amuse  themselves !  But 
then  their  ladies  must  not  find  the  life  too  sad." 

Thus  prattling,  she  conducted  them  upstairs  and 
flung  open  a  door,  exclaiming :  "  Voila !  "  Crossing 
the  landing  to  another  door,  she  flung  that  open 
also.  "  Voila !  "  she  cried  again.  Bedr-ul-Budur, 
so  tired  that  she  could  hardly  drag  her  feet  up,  chose 
the  left-hand  room,  which  happened  to  be  nearest. 
Yusuf  and  Barakah  proceeded  to  the  other.  Both 
parties  ordered  coffee  and  some  light  refreshment, 
and  after  breakfasting  went  straight  to  bed.  They 
rested  until  evening,  when  the  men  went  out  to  find 
their  friends,  whose  lodging  was  close  by.  They 
returned  with  sundry  purchases,  hats,  gloves,  and 
scarves,  which  they  declared  they  needed  for  com- 
plete disguise. 

On  the  next  morning  the  whole  party,  in  two 
carriages,  went  out  to  smell  the  air  and  view  the  city. 
It  was  a  cloudless  day  and  the  streets  sparkled,  the 
trees  along  the  boulevards  were  like  fat  green  posies. 
They  were  feeling  happy  when,  in  an  important 
thoroughfare,  they  discovered  people  pointing  at 
them,  drivers  shouting.  Yusuf  and  his  seat  com- 
panion Hafiz  grew  uncomfortable.  Cries  of  amaze- 


VEILED  WOMEN  183 

ment  reached  them  from  the  other  carriage.  Their 
cabman  turned  round  with  a  grin  and  told  them: 

"  '  Place  aux  dames,'  messieurs !  —  That  is  what 
they  cry.  These  ladies  are  not  slaves  with  us,  que 
diable!" 

The  two  men  had  been  lounging  in  the  roomy  seat 
which  faced  the  horse.  They  at  once  resigned  it, 
addressing  bows  and  smiles  of  deference  to  the  angry 
multitude;  and  called  out  to  their  friends  to  do  the 
like.  But  the  incident  destroyed  their  pleasure  in 
the  drive;  nor  were  the  ladies  happy  in  the  seat  of 
honour,  a  gazing-stock  for  infidels  who  might  possess 
the  evil  eye. 

"  Saw  one  ever  such  fanaticism?  "  groaned  Yusuf. 
"  And  they  call  this  country  free  —  a  place  where 
every  one  does  what  he  likes !  " 

That  afternoon  was  spent  in  the  hotel  in  a  strange 
manner;  Barakah,  at  the  demand  of  Yusuf,  instruct- 
ing the  four  men  in  foreign  customs.  They  posed 
and  pirouetted  in  her  salon,  rehearsing  bows,  the 
flourish  of  a  hat,  the  proper  compliments;  while  the 
three  girls  looked  on  with  saucer  eyes.  After  dinner 
they  again  appeared  before  her,  this  time  without 
their  fezes,  wearing  hats  which  gave  to  them  a  very 
villainous  and  sleek  appearance.  Required  to  criti- 
cise their  dress  and  bearing  from  a  Frankish  stand- 
point, she  suggested  some  improvements  which  were 
hailed  with  gratitude.  Yusuf  returned  home  after 
midnight,  tired  but  garrulous.  It  seemed  that  they 
had  lighted  on  a  charming  Frenchman,  who  under- 


took  to  show  them  all  the  sights.  Next  day  the  men 
rose  late  and  then  went  out  together,  leaving  the 
women  to  their  own  devices;  returned  to  dinner,  then 
went  off  again,  remaining  out  this  time  till  nearly 
morning. 

The  programme  did  not  vary  on  succeeding  days. 
The  girls,  deserted,  clung  to  Barakah.  They  wailed 
and  prayed  to  God,  and  dreamed  of  Cairo.  At 
length  one  of  them  —  it  was  Bedr-ul-Budur  —  took 
courage  to  reproach  her  lord;  when  all  four  men 
were  stricken  with  amazement.  They  had  thought 
the  ladies  would  be  gay  indoors  without  them,  as  they 
were  at  home.  To  cheer  them  up,  a  trip  to  Versailles 
was  arranged.  It  passed  off  gaily,  with  less  shyness 
than  usually  appeared  when  they  all  mixed  together. 
As  they  strolled  about  the  park,  a  youth  named  Izz- 
ud-din  made  up  to  Barakah,  and  with  the  greatest 
diffidence  implored  her  to  confide  to  him  the  secret 
how  to  win  the  love  of  Frankish  ladies.  When  she 
smilingly  assured  him  there  was  none,  he  cried: 

"  O  Lord  of  Heaven !  Then  thou  wilt  not  tell  it. 
They  are  so  easy  to  their  own  men,  as  we  know  from 
books;  to  us  so  difficult.  It  cannot  be  fanaticism, 
since  we  seem  as  Franks." 

"  But  what  need  hast  thou  of  women,  with  a  pearl 
of  beauty  here  beside  thee  ?  "  questioned  Barakah. 

"  One  who  has  beheld  thy  loveliness  must  ever- 
more desire  the  like  of  it!  Oh,  that  thou  hadst  a 
sister  for  me ! "  he  made  answer  glibly. 

He  moved  away,  but  presently  another  came  and 


VEILED  WOMEN  135 

made  the  same  preposterous  request,  retreating  with 
the  same  forced  compliment;  and  on  the  journey 
home,  when  Yusuf  closed  his  eyes  and  seemed  to 
sleep,  Hafiz  Bey,  whom  she  had  thought  more 
sensible,  approached  her  in  his  turn.  When  she  de- 
nied all  knowledge  of  the  matter  he  answered  in  low 
tones : 

"  There  is  a  secret,  that  is  known,  by  Allah. 
Thou  hast  it,  and  hast  given  hints  to  Yusuf;  else 
why  should  he  be  more  successful  than  the  rest  of 
us?" 

"  Because  he  is  better  looking,"  it  was  on  the  tip 
of  her  tongue  to  say,  as  she  surveyed  the  fat,  good- 
tempered  face  of  Hafiz  with  its  Chinese  eyes.  It  was 
all  that  she  could  do  to  keep  from  screams  of 
laughter. 

"  It  is  my  dream,"  he  whispered.  "  By  Allah  it 
disturbs  my  nights  with  cruel  pain  —  to  take  a  lady 
just  like  thee  in  all  respects  —  a  Frank  and  noble,  of 
extreme  refinement  —  back  with  me  to  Masr." 

She  derided  him.  He  still  continued  pleading, 
supporting  his  petition  with  the  grossest  flattery,  till 
they  reached  home,  when  Yusuf  suddenly  sprang  up 
and  glowered  at  Hafiz.  He  had  been  feigning  sleep. 
It  was  a  thunderbolt.  Bedr-ul-Budur  screamed 
warning  to  her  lord,  who  gave  but  a  single  look  and 
fled  indoors,  the  jealous  one  pursuing  like  a  madman. 
In  the  hall  the  harmless  youth  was  overtaken  and 
turned  round  to  plead.  With  a  howl  of  "  Dog !  " 
Yusuf  sprang  at  his  throat  and  bore  him  to  the 


136  VEILED  WOMEN 

ground.  Like  dogs  in  very  truth  they  fought  till 
parted  by  the  hotel  servants  with  the  help  of  broom- 
sticks ;  while  Barakah  strove  in  vain  to  make  her  ex- 
planation heard;  Bedr-ul-Budur  appealed  to  Allah 
and  the  prophet;  and  the  landlady  from  the  third 
step  of  the  stairs,  with  hands  and  eyes  thrown  up, 
exclaimed  repeatedly: 

"  O  ciel !     C'est  monseigneur !  " 


HALF  an  hour  later  Yusuf  and  Hafiz  were  in  each 
other's  arms,  sighing  gustily  and  rocking  to  and  fro 
in  the  ecstasy  of  reconciliation.  Barakah  had  ex- 
plained things  to  her  husband  in  the  interim,  taking 
him  to  task  severely  for  his  savage  conduct.  To  be 
thought  uncivilised  had  always  been  his  dread,  and 
just  then,  with  red  eyes  and  all  dishevelled,  a-quiver 
from  the  fray,  he  stood  convicted.  With  repentant 
tears  he  ran  to  ask  forgiveness  of  his  late  antagonist. 

It  was  decided  that  they  twain,  with  their  respec- 
tive consorts,  should  spend  the  evening  quietly  in 
Yusuf 's  room;  in  pursuance  of  which  resolution  they 
had  supped  together,  and  Bedr-ul-Budur,  who  owned 
a  lute,  was  going  to  sing,  when  a  card  was  brought 
to  Hafiz  by  the  chamber-maid.  He  frowned  and 
clenched  his  teeth  as  he  examined  it. 

"  It  is  the  Prince,  my  uncle ! "  he  exclaimed. 
"  He  has  been  told  our  whereabouts ;  it  must  be  by 
my  father,  since  we  have  been  careful  not  to  call  on 
any  of  the  Turks  in  Paris.  O  Calamity !  My  uncle 
is  correct  and  cold,  a  madman  who  condemns  all 
pleasure." 

With  haste  he  sent  his  concubine  into  her  own 
apartment,  while  Yusuf  hustled  Barakah  into  tht 

137 


138  VEILED  WOMEN 

dressing-room  and  locked  Hie  door.  No  would-be 
Franks  received  the  exiled  Prince,  but  a  pair  of 
ceremonious  Orientals,  with  fezes  carried  at  the  most 
respectful  angle,  who  strove  with  one  another  to  be 
first  to  kiss  his  hand. 

The  Prince  was  a  tremendous  talker.  A  scion  of 
the  ruling  house  of  Egypt,  enduring  banishment  for 
his  political  opinions,  he  began  upon  the  state  of  that 
unhappy  country  for  which  he  saw  no  hope  save  in 
a  European  form  of  government.  He  wished  the 
young  men  to  attend  the  meeting  of  his  club,  "  the 
Friends  of  Progress,"  at  a  cafe  on  the  Boulevard  des 
Italiens ;  and  the  young  men  swore  to  do  so  on  the 
first  evening  they  could  spare  from  the  study  of 
French  thought  and  institutions  which  at  present 
took  up  every  minute  of  their  time. 

From  national  affairs  the  Prince  passed  on  to 
household  matters,  advocating  education  for  all 
women  and  promotion  to  an  equal  rank  with  men. 
At  this  his  nephew  cried: 

"  We  think  as  you  do,  having  each  a  lady  whom 
we  treat  precisely  in  the  Frankish  manner.  Yusuf 
here  present  has  espoused  a  noble  Englishwoman, 
who  instructs  us.  Introduce  her,  Yusuf,  since  my 
uncle  shares  our  views." 

Barakah  expected  her  release,  which  she  had  long 
desired,  for  the  Prince's  voice  was  wonderfully  sweet 
and  winning,  and  she  burned  with  curiosity  to  see 
his  face.  But  the  talk  sheered  off  from  her.  The 
Prince,  resenting  the  intrusion  of  a  concrete  instance 


VEILED  WOMEN  139 

on  ideas,  rebuked  the  young  man  sternly,  causing 
both  to  cringe. 

"  You  mistake  my  meaning,"  he  informed  them. 
"  God  forbid  that  I  should  wish  our  ladies  to  re- 
semble closely  those  of  Europe.  If  you  desire  that, 
you  are  very  foolish.  The  harim  life,  or  something 
like  it,  is  the  best  for  women.  It  only  needs  reform 
and  elevation.  It  is  a  system  founded  on  the  laws 
of  God  expressed  in  nature,  whereas  the  European 
way  of  treating  women  has  no  sanction.  The  latter 
seems  entirely  meretricious  when  one  sees  how  ladies 
here  make  sport  of  marriage  and  shun  motherhood 
—  how  children  flout  and  override  their  parents.  If 
the  understanding  of  our  women  were  improved, 
their  status  raised,  I  think  our  way  would  be  ac- 
knowledged better  by  impartial  judges.  No,  all  that 
I  would  borrow  from  the  Franks  would  be  a  weapon. 
They  excel  us  in  mechanical  contrivances,  in  prac- 
tical education,  and  in  method.  These  gifts  I  covet, 
for  with  equal  weapons  we  should  be  their  masters ; 
our  Faith  exceeding  any  motive  power  which  they 
possess." 

He  went  on  talking  in  this  strain  till  nearly  mid- 
night, when  he  left  abruptly.  Barakah  was  then 
let  out  of  the  dark  prison.  Alone  with  Yusuf,  she 
inquired  his  real  opinion  of  the  Prince's  views,  which 
seemed  to  her  inspiring. 

"  Like  pitch !  Like  dung ! "  he  answered  in  the 
vulgar  speech  of  Egypt.  "  The  production  of  ideas 
is  an  amusing  pastime.  It  is  strange,  the  things 


140  VEILED  WOMEN 

a  man  can  think  of  if  he  applies  his  mind  to  it.  And 
when  a  Prince  is  speaking  one  admires,  of  course; 
though  this  one  is  a  madman  who  has  lost  a  fine  po- 
sition and  will  lose  his  life  merely  for  love  of  argu- 
ment. What  we  are  and  do  belongs  to  Allah.  No 
thinking  or  wild  talk  affects  it,  praise  to  Him ! " 

He  seemed  glad  to  change  the  subject.  Putting 
his  arm  round  Barakah,  he  begged  her  in  seductive 
tones  to  confide  to  him  the  secret  about  Frankish 
women. 

"  It  is  not  for  myself  I  ask,"  he  whispered  fondly ; 
"  but  Hafiz,  Izz-un-din,  and  Sai'd  die  to  know. 
Where  are  these  balls  at  which  distinguished  women 
fling  aside  all  shame?  We  have  been  to  dances,  but 
the  women  there  are  base  and  ribald,  showing  none  of 
that  refinement  in  depravity  which  charms  the  mind 
in  writings  of  this  country." 

In  vain  did  she  assure  him  that  good  Frankish 
women  were  every  whit  as  moral  as  good  Orientals. 

"  We  have  their  books  for  testimony,"  was  his 
answer.  And  again  he  told  her :  "  It  is  for  my 
friends  I  plead.  I  myself,  as  is  well  known,  desire 
thee  only." 

The  women  were  left  more  and  more  alone,  the 
private  explorations  of  their  lords  bereaving  them 
by  day  as  well  as  night.  Barakah  did  her  best  to 
entertain  them.  Together  with  the  landlady  she 
planned  excursions,  and  took  them  to  the  ateliers 
where  modes  are  created.  But  the  sense  of  desola- 
tion dogged  them  everywhere.  Scenes  which  they 


VEILED  WOMEN  14,1 

might  have  viewed  with  pleasure  had  their  lords  been 
faithful,  encounters  which  might  then  have  given 
them  a  thrill  of  mischief,  appeared  heartrending  in 
their  luckless  state.  The  very  gaiety  of  the  Parisian 
streets  seemed  gruesome.  If  a  man  in  passing 
touched  them  they  were  seized  with  trembling,  and 
once  or  twice  came  very  near  to  fainting  from  pure 
shame;  and  their  terror  was  intense  at  passing  un- 
known doorways,  though,  the  landlady  assured  them 
there  was  not  the  slightest  danger. 

Their  haunting  fear  was  lest  male  unbelievers 
should  abduct  them;  still  more,  perhaps,  lest  they 
should  come  to  wish  for  such  a  fate  —  the  most  ap- 
palling that  could  be  imagined  for  a  Muslim  woman. 
Bedr-ul-Budur  declared  she  knew  a  girl  who,  married 
to  an  infidel,  brought  forth  black  beetles  — "  not 
one,  but  thousands !  millions  !  " —  she  related  graphic- 
ally —  which  at  length  devoured  her.  Such  stories 
were  received  with  acclamation,  as  justifying  the  ex- 
treme abhorrence  which  they  felt  for  Frenchmen. 
And  Barakah,  though  she  tried  to  reason  with  them, 
shared  their  feelings  in  some  measure,  dismayed  by 
the  vulgarity  of  Western  life.  When,  added  to  all 
this,  it  rained  for  five  days  in  succession,  her  friends 
resigned  their  cause  to  God  and  ceased  to  worry, 
while  she  herself  grew  thoroughly  despondent. 

The  girls  shrugged  shoulders  at  the  sinful  folly 
of  their  owners,  now  too  far  gone  in  dissipation  to 
endure  reproaches. 

"  It  is  a  malady,  a  madness,"  said  Bedr-ul-Budur, 


142  VEILED  WOMEN 

with  resignation.  "  It  is  the  air  of  infidelity  in  this 
accursed  city.  We  did  wrong  to  travel  unprovided 
with  the  antidote,  which  must  be  known  to  sages  and 
obtainable.  It  is  bad  enough  for  us,  but  what  of 
Barakah —  a  chief  wife,  a  great  lady?  How  can 
she  endure  it?  " 

Barakah  did  at  last  think  fit  to  make  a  protest. 
One  night  and  early  morning  she  sat  up  for  Yusuf, 
and  her  reproaches  met  with  a  success  which  startled 
her.  He  wept  aloud  and  flung  himself  upon  the 
floor.  His  face  was  ghastly.  When  questioned,  he 
confessed  that  he  had  sinned  most  foully,  having  that 
night  consumed  so  much  abomination  that  on  his  way 
home  he  had  been  struck  down  by  God  with  awful 
sickness  and  had  nearly  died.  He  swore  that  none 
but  devils  lived  in  Paris,  and  implored  her  to  trans- 
port him  back  to  Egypt. 

A  picture  seen  the  previous  morning  in  a  shop 
upon  the  boulevard  had  roused  in  Barakah  the  wish 
to  visit  Switzerland.  She  longed  to  walk  by  forest 
streams,  beneath  great  mountains,  in  solitude,  with 
keen,  cool  breezes  to  restore  her  spirits. 

"  Paris  is  not  the  whole  of  Europe,"  she  informed 
him  gently.  "  There  are  scenes  of  famous  beauty 
which  we  ought  to  visit.  Take  me  to  Switzerland !  " 

"  At  once ! "  he  cried.  "  This  very  day  now 
dawning!  By  Allah,  I  would  go  to  Gebel  Caf  with 
thee  alone  to  get  away  from  Paris." 

She  bade  him  tell  his  friends  to  treat  their  women 
better,  which  he  swore  to  do;  and  directly  after 


VEILED  WOMEN 

breakfast  took  him  out,  while  his  resolve  was  eager, 
to  obtain  money  from  the  bank  where  he  had  credit, 
and  buy  tickets  to  Geneva,  the  first  name  occurring 
to  her.  She  was  glad  that  she  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution when,  later  in  the  day,  she  saw  his  purpose 
weaken.  The  tickets  actually  bought  alone  sustained 
it,  for  he  had  the  Oriental's  shrewd  regard  for 
money's  worth.  That  night  they  spent  in  the  train, 
both  cherishing  sensations  of  deliverance,  though 
those  of  Barakah  were  chequered  by  the  vision  of 
three  weeping  girls,  who  at  the  moment  of  departure 
had  embraced  her  knees  and  tried  to  hold  her. 

Their  Alpine  tour,  however,  was  of  short  dura- 
tion. Yvisuf  was  contented  in  Geneva,  giving  praise 
to  Allah  for  the  vast  supply  of  drinking  water.  But 
when,  at  her  suggestion,  they  moved  on  to  Cham- 
ounix,  his  feeling  changed.  His  face  went  green  as 
on  that  night  in  Paris.  His  nostrils  and  his  eyes 
distended  to  their  utmost,  reminding  the  observer  of 
a  frightened  horse.  The  sight  of  the  great  moun- 
tains closing  in  and  hanging  over  him  oppressed  his 
soul  with  terror  which  was  not  diminished  by  the 
occurrence  in  the  hour  of  their  arrival  of  a  dreadful 
thunderstorm.  When  he  saw  the  numbers  of  the 
visitors  he  gasped  and  questioned :  "  Come  these 
here  for  pleasure?  Is  it  possible?  A  place  so 
frightful,  so  appalling,  like  Gehennum !  If  one  came 
with  a  large  company,  with  music  and  loud  songs 
that  never  ceased,  and  kept  his  eyes  shut  all  the  time, 
it  might  be  bearable;  supposing  one  were  forced  to 


144  VEILED  WOMEN 

do  it,  for  some  crime.  .  .  .  For  pleasure,  sayest 
thou?  What  pleasure  can  they  find?  " 

"  They  walk  and  climb  the  mountains.  They  love 
Nature.  And  the  air  is  excellent." 

"  By  Allah,  wild  beasts !  Human  beings  are  more 
sensitive.  How  can  they  love  Nature  who  approve 
her  in  most  horrid  mood?  It  is  evident  that  God 
Most  High  designed  such  scenes  for  a  warning  and  a 
menace,  to  be  shunned.  Yet  these  applaud.  They 
are  utterly  devoid  of  feeling.  May  Our  Lord  de- 
stroy them !  " 

A  prey  to  panic,  he  no  longer  heard  her  arguments. 
His  one  desire  was  to  rejoin  his  friends  as  soon  as 
might  be,  to  see  once  more  the  visage  of  a  true 
believer;  and  two  days  later  they  were  back  in  Paris. 

Barakah's  return  was  hailed  with  rapture  by  the 
hapless  girls,  who  had  not  ventured  out  of  doors 
during  her  absence.  Things,  they  declared,  were 
even  worse  than  ere  she  left,  their  men  more  shame- 
less. Yusuf  had  sworn  beforehand  to  discounte- 
nance their  ill-behaviour,  and  for  the  first  two  days 
he  kept  his  word ;  though  Hafiz  and  the  others  begged 
her  to  release  him  from  it,  protesting  that  their  oc- 
cupations were  most  innocent.  Indeed,  their  child- 
like zest  in  evil-doing  so  resembled  innocence  that  she 
felt  cruel  when  refusing,  as  if  denying  babies  some 
small  pleasure.  But  on  the  third  day  Yusuf  came  to 
her,  with  worried  frown,  and  said : 

"  Hafiz  and  the  rest,  I  f  e  ir,  are  going  much  too 
far.  I  feel  responsible  for  them,  since  we  are  all  one 


VEILED  WOMEN  145 

party.  They  do  not  tell  me  all  their  pranks.  I 
have  been  thinking.  It  is  my  duty  to  be  with  them 
and  restrain  their  conduct." 

"  Do  what  thou  judgest  right  and  God  preserve 
thee ! "  answered  Barakah,  with  a  point  of  irony 
which  he  did  not  perceive. 

"  My  conscience  is  relieved,"  he  cried.  "  I  thank 
thee.  God  knows  how  it  has  troubled  me  since  our 
return." 

That  evening  he  departed  with  his  friends,  leaving 
Barakah  to  hear  the  lamentations  of  the  girls. 

"They  are  all  bewitched,"  cried  Bedr.  "  Hafiz 
is  by  nature  pious.  Even  now  he  names  the  Name 
of  Allah  when  he  opens  any  door  and  curses  the 
religion  of  the  infidels  when  passing  by  their  idols 
in  the  streets  and  squares.  Our  Lord  preserve  his 
life!  Each  night  I  see  him  dead  in  some  disgrace- 
ful haunt,  his  house  dishonoured.  Oh  that  I  knew 
a  good  magician,  a  true  believer,  in  thi,s  land  of 
mangy  dogs ! " 

Their  fears,  against  her  will,  infected  Barakah; 
during  the  long  night-watches  they  became  a  sick- 
ness, and  when  day  broke  again  they  seemed  con- 
tinned.  Yusuf  had  not  returned.  She  went  to 
Bedr-ul-Budur  and  found  her  in  the  seme  a«xiety. 
They  sat  together,  wondering  what  to  do.  Grey 
light  at  the  window,  raindrops  coursing  down  the 
panes,  made  anguish  visible. 

At  length,  when  eight  o'clock  had  struck,  there 
came  a  note  for  Barakah.  It  was  in  French,  and 


146  VEILED  WOMEN 

from  the  exiled  Prince,  the  revolutionary.  It  bade 
her  have  no  fear;  her  husband  would  be  with  her 
in  an  hour,  when  the  writer  hoped,  with  her  permis- 
sion, to  present  his  compliments  in  person  and  explain 
the  case.  The  other  girls  had  come  by  that  time 
from  their  lodgings  to  get  strength  from  Barakah. 
Conjecture  ravened  round  the  simple  statement  in 
the  letter.  At  ten  o'clock  the  Prince  sent  up  his 
card;  the  three  girls  fled  across  the  passage  just  in 
time  to  avoid  encountering  the  visitor,  who  led  into 
the  room  the  errant  youths.  The  Prince,  a  lean, 
ascetic-looking  man,  with  boyish  eyes,  bowed  low  to 
Barakah. 

"  Madame,"  he  opened,  with  a  flourish  of  his  hand 
towards  the  group  of  reprobates,  "  I  ask  you  to  re- 
member of  your  husband,  and  also  beg  you  to  remind 
the  fair  companions  of  my  nephew  and  these  other 
gentlemen,  that  they  are  young,  these  boys,  and 
therefore  capable  of  progress.  It  is  a  proof  that 
they  possess  some  germ  of  sense,  which  later  may 
develop  into  mind,  that,  being  terrified  at  last,  they 
sent  to  me.  I  found  them  in  a  most  equivocal  posi- 
tion —  in  fact,  dear  madame,  at  the  Conciergerie. 
Thanks  to  my  relations  with  important  people  in  this 
city,  I  had  no  difficulty  in  procuring  their  release, 
since  they  were  not  precisely-  guilty,  only  imbecile. 
I  am  glad  to  have  been  able  to  assist  them,  for  the 
love  I  bear  their  parents  and  our  common  Faith. 
But  they  will  allow  me  to  remark  that  vicious  boys 
should  travel  only  with  a  tutor,  who  should  have  a 


VEILED  WOMEN  147 

whip.  It  disgusts  me  even  to  conceive  that  any  man 
could  be  so  foolish  as  to  quit  the  side  of  one  so  lovely 
and  so  virtuous  as  you,  madame,  to  follow  beastliness. 
Dear  madame,  your  servant !  " 

He  retired;  when  Yusuf  and  the  others  pressed 
round  Barakah,  a  group  of  penitent  and  frightened 
children.  Hafiz,  the  fat,  knelt  down  before  her, 
tears  coursing  down  his-  cheeks ;  Said  kissed  her 
raiment ;  Yusuf  pleaded  in  her  ear.  They  had  done 
wrong,  they  owned,  though  nothing  very  dreadful. 
Some  elegant  ladies  had  admitted  them  to  their 
society ;  they  were  sitting  in  a  cafe  communing  in  all 
refinement,  when  horrible  low  men  arrived  and  claimed 
those  ladies.  One  threw  a  glass  at  Said  and  cut  his 
face  —  the  wound  was  shown  —  on  which  there  was 
a  scuffle;  gendarmes  came  and,  siding  with  their  co- 
religionists, conveyed  the  righteous  Muslims  straight 
to  prison. 

"  Where  we  should  have  stayed  for  ever,  had  not 
Hafiz  thought  of  calling  in  his  uncle,"  blubbered 
Izz-ud-din ;  "  simply  for  being  Muslims,  they  are  so 
fanatical." 

All  four  were  bent  upon  return  to  Egypt,  since 
Paris  had  become  a  place  of  terror.  The  rapture 
of  the  girls  was  indescribable.  They  danced  and 
clapped  their  hands,  embraced  each  other,  laughed, 
cried,  and  gave  way  to  all  kinds  of  folly.  Bedr- 
ul-Budur  made  vows  to  divers  saints,  and  held  de- 
lighted conversations  with  her  mother  long  since  dead. 

Four  days  later  they  were  all  on  board  a  steamer, 


148  VEILED  WOMEN 

quitting  France.  The  sea  was  smooth;  the  ladies 
stayed  on  deck.  There  was  no  longer  any  question 
of  confining  them  in  stuffy  cabins ;  experience  of 
Frankish  manners  had  done  that  much  good. 

Yusuf  turned  round  from  cursing  the  fair  country 
they  were  leaving,  to  look  ahead  across  the  vast 
expanse  of  sparkling  sea. 

"  O  land  of  Egypt !  Blessed  one ! "  he  sighed. 
"  Most  beautiful  of  all  that  see  the  sun !  In  thee 
are  no  hideous  and  shocking  mountains,  no  cata- 
racts, no  chasms,  no  ferocious  beasts  or  savage 
people  such  as  appal  the  traveller  in  other  lands. 
All  is  flat  and  smooth  and  debonair  in  thee;  and  if 
thou  housest  infidels  they  dare  not  bite.  Thy  Nile 
is  smooth  and  good  to  drink,  not  putrid  and  for  ever 
kicking  like  the  sea.  May  Allah  bring  us  to  thy 
shores  in  safety  and  never  let  us  leave  them  any 
more,  but  live  in  honour,  eating,  drinking,  fasting  in 
due  season,  praising  God,  doing  good  deeds,  and 
getting  many  children !  " 

At  this  conclusion  there  was  laughter  and  ap- 
plause. 

"Amin!"  cried  Hafiz.  "By  Allah,  it  is  true. 
The  air  of  lands  of  infidelity  breeds  madness.  Hail, 
O  Egypt!" 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

"  A  RARE  place,  by  Allah !  —  full  to  the  brim  of 
education  and  refinement.  It  is  there  that  one  ac- 
quires the  latest  mode  and  learns  to  view  all  creatures 
with  fastidious  eyes.  In  Paris  people  would  be 
angered  at  the  ignorance  which  prevails  even  among 
our  greatest  learned  men.  Thou  too  shouldst  go  to 
Paris,  O  my  dear !  " 

Thus  Hafiz  Bey  at  Alexandria,  to  a  relative  who 
came  on  board  to  welcome  him.  Barakah  was  much 
amused  to  overhear  him,  as  also  Yusuf  vaunting 
Paris  to  Ghandur;  who,  weeping  all  the  time  and 
sighing  "  Praise  to  Allah ! "  heard  not  a  word  of 
what  his  lord  was  pleased  to  say.  Great  was  the  joy 
of  seeing  Egypt  once  again.  Even  for  the  girls,  it 
wiped  out  all  unpleasantness,  making  a  plaintive 
tone  impossible. 

Shrouded  once  more  in  habbarah  and  face-veil, 
they  stood  and  watched  the  crowd  of  buildings  faint 
with  sunshine,  seeming  diaphanous  between  the  sap- 
phire sky  and  the  blue  sea  that  looked  opaque  as  lapis 
lazuli.  A  gaily  coloured  people  thronged  the  quays 
and  crossed  the  harbour  in  innumerable  little  boats. 
A  din  as  rousing  as  a  clarion  call,  composed  of  many 
simple  noises,  filled  the  sunlight.  The  girls,  exhik- 

149 


150  VEILED  WOMEN 

rated,  danced  on  tiptoe  as  they  waited  for  the  word  to 
go  ashore.  They  chattered  like  small  birds,  inconse- 
quently,  and  every  minute  interjected  "  Praise  to 
Allah ! "  Barakah  inclined  to  silence,  though  she 
shared  their  rapture. 

The  face-veil,  which  she  had  not  worn  for  many 
weeks,  seemed  strange  at  first.  It  gave  the  sense  of 
prying  and  slight  mischief  one  has  in  peeping  over 
a  forbidding  wall.  Her  eyes  above  it  seemed  more 
penetrating.  She  turned  them  from  the  crowd  on 
shore  to  follow  Yusuf's  movements.  He  was  now 
himself  again,  correct  and  dignified,  commanding  as 
of  right,  entirely  rehabilitated  in  her  good  opinion. 
It  seemed  to  her  that  the  contempt  she  had  so  lately 
felt  for  him  was  undeserved.  Sinking  in  a  strange 
element,  he  had  lost  his  head  and  for  a  moment  clung 
to  her.  The  case  had  been  her  own  at  first  in  Egypt. 
A  minute  previous  she  had  said  good-bye  to  Hafiz, 
Izz-ud-din,  and  Said.  It  was  curious  to  know  that 
though  they  would  be  dwelling  near  her  in  the  city, 
meeting  Yvisuf  daily,  she  would  very  likely  never  see 
them  in  this  world  again.  But  the  prospect  did  not 
sadden  her  at  all.  Shade  and  seclusion  seemed  just 
then  the  highest  good. 

Having  spoken  their  polite  farewells,  Yusuf  and 
his  companions  took  no  further  notice  of  the  group 
of  veiled  ones.  Ghandur  had  been  deputed  to  look 
after  them.  He  ushered  them  on  shore,  and  sat  be- 
side the  driver  of  the  carriage  which  conveyed  them 
to  the  railway  station,  praising  Allah  all  the  while 


VEILED  WOMEN  111 

and  weeping  tears  of  joy.  In  Barakah's  absence,  h« 
declared  repeatedly,  there  had  been  no  breeze  in 
Egypt  nor  any  spot  of  shade  for  man's  repose.  He 
found  them  their  reserved  compartment  in  the  train, 
and  supplied  their  many  needs,  procuring  sweets, 
chickpease,  pistachio  nuts,  and  hard-boiled  eggs 
from  venders  on  the  platform,  as  well  as  two  large 
porous  jars  of  drinking-water.  The  girls  asked 
Allah  to  take  note  how  good  he  was,  and  called  him 
brother. 

The  dazzle  and  intoxication  of  great  light  re- 
mained with  them  even  when  the  door  was  shut  and 
they  were  in  warm  shade.  The  sunlight  here  was 
not  like  that  of  Paris,  a  thing  to  stare  at,  but  a 
blinding  glory.  It  danced  in  flakes  of  all  the  colours 
of  the  rainbow,  making  the  buildings  and  the  people 
pale  and  ghostlike.  The  very  heat  which  soon 
reigned  in  their  moving  box,  the  very  dust  which 
drifted  through  its  shutters,  were  welcome,  being 
heat  and  dust  of  Egypt;  and  at  the  stations,  when 
familiar  cries  were  heard,  the  speech  of  true  believers 
built  upon  the  name  of  Allah,  the  girls  could  not  con- 
tain their  sentiments,  but  bounced  upon  the  seats  and 
shrieked  for  joy. 

"  Hear  what  I  am  going  to  do,  by  Allah's  leave," 
cried  Bedr.  "  Immediately  on  my  arrival  at  the 
palace,  before  seeing  any  one,  I  shall  go  to  the  ham- 
mam  and  make  our  old  bellanah  scrub  and  knead  me 
till  every  vestige  of  the  dust  of  Paris  is  abolished. 
Then  she  shall  dye  my  hands  and  feet  with  henna 


152  VEILED  WOMEN 

and  shall  kohl  my  eyes  and  eyebrows, —  if  we  had 
not  been  forbidden  to  take  kohl  to  Paris,  our  men 
would  not  have  left  us  as  they  did, —  and  then  I 
shall  stretch  myself  like  a  sleek  cat  and  looking  at  my 
pretty  hennaed  toes,  shall  say,  '  I  seek  refuge  in 
Allah  from  the  abomination  of  the  infidels.'  That 
done,  and  being  dressed  in  my  most  splendid  robes, 
I  shall  present  myself  before  my  ladies,  and  shall  lie 
to  them;  declaring  that  I  was  most  happy  there  in 
Paris,  that  Hafiz  Bey  refused  to  leave  me  for  a  single 
instant.  The  ladies  will  not  doubt  me,  seeing  my 
great  beauty,  and  Hafiz  Bey,  you  may  be  sure,  will 
not  deny  my  story.  Thus  shall  I  gain  more  favour 
in  his  eyes,  and  make  his  wife  —  the  proud  one!  — 
wish  that  she  had  gone  instead  of  me.  What  say 
you?  " 

"  By  Allah,  we  will  do  the  same  in  all  respects !  " 
her  companions  cried  delightedly.  *'  But  what  of 
Barakah?  Promise,  0  Barakah,  to  hide  the  truth 
from  the  harim !  " 

Barakah  promised;  when  they  made  her  swear  to 
love  them  always,  though  they  were  but  slave-girls 
and  she  a  dignified  and  noble  lady,  for  the  sake  of 
the  misfortunes  they  had  borne  together.  They  all 
clung  round  her  when  the  train  reached  Cairo.  The 
door  of  their  compartment  was  flung  open  by  Sawwab 
in  person,  grinning  welcome,  with  other  eunuchs 
close  behind  him  on  the  platform. 

Sawwab  conducted  Barakah  with  honour  to  the 
harira  carriage,  entering  which  she  was  hugged 


VEILED  WOMEN  153 

breathless  by  the  lady  Fitnah,  while  Leylah 
Khanum  and  her  daughters  started  chattering, 
telling  her  all  the  news  at  once  and  in  a  single 
breath. 

Gulbeyzah  had  been  married  a  whole  month.  She 
was  absent  in  the  country  with  her  lord's  whole 
house,  but  would  return,  it  was  expected,  in  a  week 
or  two.  Had  Barakah  heard  in  Europe  —  no  doubt 
she  had  —  that  the  Sea  Canal  was  to  be  opened  in 
the  coming  year,  with  great  festivities  ?  —  the  King 
and  Queen  of  France  were  coming,  it  was  rumoured. 
Murjanah  Khanum  had  been  far  from  well.  That 
was  why  she  had  not  come  to  welcome  Barakah,  to 
whom  she  sent  her  warmest  salutations.  Barakah 
was  not  going  to  the  garden-house  this  time,  but  to 
the  Pasha's  palace,  to  remain  with  them,  the  praise 
to  Allah!  Fitnah  herself  had  seen  the  rooms 
cleaned  out  and  perfumed.  One  of  the  blacks, 
Zamurrudah,  was  dead,  the  Lord  have  mercy  on 
her !  The  old  striped  cat  had  kittens,  lucky  one ! 
The  Pasha's  nieces  were  quite  positive  about  the 
fact,  though  no  one  had  been  able  to  find  out  their 
hiding-place. 

As  Barakah,  caressed  by  all  of  them,  received 
this  outpour,  her  feeling  of  home-coming  was  com- 
plete. And  when  she  came  to  her  own  gilded  salon 
—  the  same  where  she  had  sipped  the  poison  which 
seemed  now  a  dream  —  there  was  a  slave-girl  of 
Murjanah  Khanum's  waiting  to  conduct  her  to  the 
bath,  with  a  present  of  rare  flowers  and  fruit,  and  a 


154  VEILED  WOMEN 

robe  of  honour  which  she  was  to  don,  when  she  had 
rested,  for  supper  in  Murjanah  Khanum's  rooms 
where  all  the  ladies  were  invited  to  meet  her. 

The  ladies,  having  voided  their  own  news,  desired 
a  full  account  of  Paris  and  her  doings.  "  In  sh' 
Allah,  thou  wast  happy  there !  "  they  all  exclaimed. 
When  she  replied,  "  My  happiness  is  here  with  you," 
the  answer  gave  unbounded  satisfaction.  From 
their  remarks  she  learnt,  to  her  no  small  amazement, 
that  Hafiz  Bey  was  the  son  of  her  old  friend  Ammah 
Khanum. 

"  Thou  didst  not  know?  "  they  cried.  "  How  can 
that  be?  And  Bedr-ul-Budur  —  surely  thou  hast 
heard  of  her  —  the  slave  whose  beauty  the  Princess 
was  always  vaunting?  It  is  very  strange!" 

The  placid  gossip  and  the  shaded  calm  existence 
were  delightful  after  months  of  agitation.  Barakah 
fell  into  the  harim  habits  with  enthusiasm,  devour- 
ing sweetstuff  at  all  hours,  enjoying  cigarettes  and 
the  narghileh.  The  best  part  of  her  morning  was 
spent  at  the  bath,  where  the  ladies  met  for  gossip 
and  for  healthful  exercise;  her  afternoon  in  seeing 
visitors  or  paying  visits.  Gulbeyzah  came  to  see  her, 
radiating  gladness,  extolling  not  her  husband  but  her 
fellow-wives. 

"  We  spend  such  merry  days  together,"  she  in- 
formed her  friend.  "  Oh,  how  much  better  than  to 
be  an  only  wife !  " 

When  Barakah  returned  the  visit,  she  was  re- 
ceived by  the  four  durrahs  with  one  voice  of  wel- 


VEILED  WOMEN  155 

come.  The  four  together  formed  a  charming  small 
society,  quite  independent  of  the  husband's  humours 
and  the  outside  world.  All  their  possessions  they 
enjoyed  in  common,  even  children.  Barakah  was 
begged  to  come  and  see  them  often,  and  to  love  them 
all. 

She  would  have  been  completely  happy  in  those 
days  but  for  embarrassment  arising  from  a  secret 
which  she  longed  yet  feared  to  tell.  She  was  with 
child.  Suspicion  grew  to  certainty  and  still  she  put 
off  the  announcement,  dreading  the  outcry  of  these 
candid  women  and  the  harim  ceremonies.  It  slipped 
from  her  by  accident,  one  afternoon,  and  the  fuss 
they  made  proved  even  worse  than  expectation. 

Ammah  Khanum  brought  Bedr-ul-Budur  to  see 
her,  saying: 

"  This  girl  of  mine  has  news  to  tell  you." 

The  old  Princess  herself  proclaimed  the  news  with 
praise  to  Allah.  A  flush  suffused  the  listener  from 
head  to  foot. 

"  I  too  — "  she  murmured,  and  then  stopped 
in  great  confusion.  Aminah  Khanum  pounced  on 
her  with  eager  questions.  Bedr-ul-Budur  knelt  down 
before  her  in  an  ecstasy. 

"  Thou,  too,  art  blest?  And  thou  has  kept  it 
secret  all  this  while? "  the  Princess  cried.  "  O 
Bedr,  go  and  beg  the  lady  Fitnah  to  come  hither 
instantly !  " 

"  No,  no ! "  entreated  Barakah,  distraught  with 
shame. 


156  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  Yes,  yes ! "  replied  the  other,  scoffing  at  her. 
"  Is  this  the  famed  false  modesty  of  England? 
Praise  God  Most  High  that  thou  art  fruitful, 
praise  Him  loudly !  " 

The  joy  of  Fitnah  Khanum  passed  all  bounds. 
She  sent  a  messenger  at  once  to  Yusuf,  another  to 
the  Pasha,  with  the  tidings.  The  Pasha  came  at 
once  to  pay  his  compliments  to  Barakah.  Yusuf 
came  later,  having  thought  it  necessary  to  circulate 
the  happy  news  among  his  friends.  Ghandur,  who, 
as  the  water-carrier  of  the  apartment,  sat  always  in 
the  alley,  underneath  the  lady's  lattice,  was  heard 
intoning  a  loud  song  of  triumph,  three  parts  prayer, 
of  which  each  verse  concluded  with :  "  Twin  boys,  in 
sh'Allah ! " 

Joy-shrieks  resounded;  the  whole  household 
smiled;  her  friends  thronged  round  her,  informed 
of  her  good  luck  as  if  by  miracle,  for  black- 
shrouded  newsbearers  were  ever  flitting  by  shad- 
owed walls,  along  the  edge  of  crowded  markets, 
linking  the  great  harims  in  one  society,  and  what 
was  done  in  one  was  known  in  all.  And  Barakah 
alone  saw  any  call  for  shame  or  reticence. 

From  that  day  forth  she  was  the  idol  of  her  little 
world,  her  every  want  forestalled  by  warm  solicitude. 
Murjanah  Khanum  talked  to  her  in  a  religious 
strain;  Fitnah,  more  homely,  prepared  dainties  for 
her;  the  Pasha's  sister  came  and  told  her  stories. 
The  very  children  talked  aloud  of  her  condition,  and 
hailed  it  as  a  blessing  to  the  house. 


VEILED  WOMEN  157 

She  had  a  good  excuse  for  shunning  the  festivi- 
ties which  took  place  on  the  arrival  of  the  Emperor 
of  the  French  in  Cairo ;  though  her  husband  was  era- 
ployed  in  the  reception,  and  all  the  ladies  were  agog 
to  see  the  Empress.  She  wished  to  be  entirely  Ori- 
ental. Prankish  talk  disgusted  her.  Any  reminder 
that  the  Europeans  still  existed  was  annoying;  how 
much  more  to  hear  them  vaunted  by  her  Eastern 
friends.  Yusuf  himself  made  fun  of  her  fanaticism. 
The  women  humoured  her  conceit  with  knowing 
smiles. 

Gulbeyzah  and  Bedr-ul-Budur,  both  in  the  same 
condition,  were  her  constant  visitors.  Aminah  Kha- 
num  gave  advice  in  her  brusque  way,  and  as  the 
Englishwoman's  time  drew  near,  did  more  for  her 
protection  than  she  knew  of  in  her  illness ;  impress- 
ing on  Muhammad  Pasha  through  Murjanah  the 
necessity  of  calling  in  a  Frankish  doctor,  and  her- 
self procuring  from  the  Mufti  the  religious  judgment 
which  stilled  the  angry  outcry  of  the  harim  mid- 
wives. 

The  hour  of  trial  came  at  length  —  an  anguish 
worse  than  death,  succeeded  by  a  happiness  as  calm 
as  heaven.  From  the  cries  of  jubilation  filling  all 
the  house,  from  the  blessings  showered  on  her  within 
the  chamber,  she  knew  that  she  had  borne  a  son. 
She  saw  the  blue  of  evening  at  the  lattice,  heard  the 
murmur  of  the  tired  city  like  a  voice  of  waters,  and, 
lulled  by  vast  contentment,  fell  asleep. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

NEVER  in  her  life  had  Barakah  seen  so  many 
strange  old  women.  There  were  always  four  or  five 
of  them  within  her  chamber,  squatting  on  mats  along 
the  wall,  conversing  in  low  tones,  ready  at  a  breath 
to  rearrange  her  pillows,  or  fetch  some  posset  that 
was  ordered  for  her.  They  were  all  of  apelike  ugli- 
ness, and,  going  barefoot,  moved  as  noiselessly  as 
ghosts. 

The  Frankish  doctor  —  an  Italian  —  had  pro- 
nounced her  much  too  frail  to  nurse  her  baby  — 
a  decision  which  excited  such  dependants  of  the 
house  as  were  eligible  for  the  post  of  foster-mother. 
This  was  a  great  prize,  kinship  by  milk,  among  the 
Muslims,  being  esteemed  as  genuine  and  binding  as 
by  blood.  The  wet-nurse  thus  became  a  near  rela- 
tion of  the  family,  and  all  her  race  had  claims  upon 
its  bounty.  Barakah  felt  jealous  of  the  woman  who 
usurped  her  function,  till  she  heard  from  Fitnah 
Khanum  that  the  choice  had  fallen  on  the  wife  of  her 
old  friend  Ghandur.  The  girl,  a  former  slave  of  the 
harim,  was  then  presented  to  her,  the  baby  in  her 
arms;  and  won  her  heart  by  her  excessive  gratitude. 
She  was  touched,  too,  by  the  transports  of  Ghandur, 

158 


VEILED  WOMEN  159 

who  sang  thanksgiving  to  her  lattice  in  his  simple 
way.     His  chant  was  something  in  this  manner: 

"  The  sun  is  in  my  eyes !    O  happy  day ! 

I  grope  as  one  half-blind.     Behold  the  bounty  of  my  lord! 

I,  the  poor  slave  of  Allan, 

Am  now  the  father  of  his  son  Abdallah, 

My  wife  the  mother  of  his  son,  by  leave  of  Allah, 

My  little  boy  the  brother  of  a  child  most  blest,  in  sh' Allah! 

The  gracious  consort  of  my  lord,  istaghfar  Allah! 

Has  granted  to  our  lowliness  a  share  in  her  good  gift  from 

Allah. 
May  Allah  bless  my  lord  and  lady  in  their  noble  offspring,  and 

preserve  his  life  to  be  the  luminary  of  our  future  days." 

She  liked  to  hear  him,  his  voice  so  near  at  hand 
produced  a  sense  of  true  devotion  and  security. 
Missing  his  chant  upon  the  following  day,  she  in- 
quired what  had  become  of  him.  She  was  informed 
that,  consequent  upon  his  wife's  preferment,  he  had 
been  appointed  to  a  small  position  in  the  Govern- 
ment. It  made  her  sad. 

Her  son  was  given  over  to  the  harim  midwives  to 
fulfil  no  end  of  cerejnonies  destined  to  frustrate  the 
powers  of  evil.  For  a  week  he  was  not  left  alone  or 
in  the  dark  a  single  second.  They  carried  him  in  a 
procession  through  the  house,  his  future  kingdom, 
and  as  each  door  was  opened,  sprinkled  salt  mixed 
with  the  seven  seeds  to  exorcize  the  jinn  who  lurked 
within.  Soon  after  birth  his  face  had  been  defiled 
with  certain  powders,  which  Barakah  could  not  per- 
suade the  women  to  wash  off.  It  was  a  necessary 
precaution,  they  assured  her,  against  jealous  powers 


160  VEILED  WOMEN 

of  darkness  who,  if  they  had  an  inkling  of  his  beauty, 
would  destroy  him.  Chief  among  these  was  the  dis- 
carded wife  of  Adam,  alluded  to  as  El  Carinah  (the 
companion),  the  cause  of  man's  first  fall,  who  hates 
Eve's  daughters  and  resents  their  great  fertility. 
Where  a  child  seems  lovely  and  the  mother  shows 
delight  in  its  appearance,  she  attacks  them  both;  if, 
on  the  contrary,  she  sees  it  ugly  and  hears  words  of 
disappointment,  she  lets  it  live  to  spite  the  seed  of 
Adam.  For  one  so  powerful,  she  must  be  very 
stupid  to  be  taken  in  by  such  pretences,  Barakah  re- 
marked; but  they  cried  out  that  such  was  not  the 
case,  but  Allah  in  His  mercy  had  set  limits  to  her 
sight  and  hearing.  Each  day  the  infant  was  the 
central  figure  in  some  ancient  rite  believed  essential 
to  its  welfare. 

As  Barakah  lay  in  bed  and  watched  the  pattern 
of  the  lattice,  her  whole  existence  passing  like  a 
dream  before  her,  she  sought  to  reconcile  her 
former  English  with  her  present  Eastern  life.  Her 
son  was  a  fine  boy,  they  all  assured  her.  It  sad- 
dened her  that  she  had  no  relations  of  her  own  to 
take  a  pride  in  him.  In  this  mood  she  asked  Yusuf 
to  write  a  little  note  to  Mrs.  Cameron  entreating  her 
to  come  one  day  and  see  the  baby.  He  did  so,  and 
the  answer  was  that  she  would  come  with  pleasure. 

Elated  by  the  prospect  of  this  visit,  Barakah 
wished  to  have  her  offspring  made  presentable;  but 
when  she  gave  command  to  wash  his  face  and  wrap 
him  in  nice  clothes,  the  goodies  screamed  aloud,  and 


VEILED  WOMEN  161 

fetched  the  lady  Fitnah  to  remonstrate  with  her. 
She  gave  way,  perforce;  and  Mrs.  Cameron  beheld 
the  infant  at  his  worst. 

The  visitor  was  very  kind  in  her  address  to 
Barakah ;  but,  when  she  held  the  baby  for  a  minute, 
looking  down  at  it,  the  latter,  watching  keenly,  saw 
upon  her  face  a  quiver  of  extreme  disfavour  mixed 
with  pity.  The  whiteness  of  her  hands  and  face 
showed  the  child  yellow;  Barakah  had  thought  him 
while  as  snow  till  then.  A  flush  of  anger  and  humil- 
iation reached  her  brain. 

"  His  face  is  dirty,  the  poor  little  one !  Our  Lord 
preserve  him ! "  the  visitor  remarked  in  Arabic  as 
she  returned  the  baby  to  his  nurse;  at  which  there 
was  an  outburst  of  applause  from  the  onlookers. 
They  called  down  blessings  on  the  lady's  head,  de- 
siring she  might  have  herself  a  thousand  children, 
not  like  this  one,  puny  and  unpleasant,  but  most 
beautiful. 

Barakah,  consumed  with  rage,  murmured  hoarsely 
in  response  to  Mrs.  Cameron's  farewell.  The  mo- 
ment she  was  gone  she  burst  out  weeping. 

"  She  did  not  like  the  child !  She  scorned  my  son, 
because  he  is  not  altogether  white  as  she  is." 

"  Thou  mistakest,  O  my  dear !  Be  comforted !  " 
cried  Fitnah  Khanum,  while  the  other  women  round 
her  exchanged  pitying  glances. 

"  Thou  are  not  yet  perfect  in  our  prudent  cus- 
toms; but  thy  friend,  though  not  a  Muslimah,  has 
learnt  them,  having  been  much  longer  in  the  land. 


162  VEILED  WOMEN 

Hast  thou  forgotten  my  instructions  touching  El 
Carinah?  Nor  is  she  alone  to  be  redoubted,  since 
Allah  Himself  abhors  a  boastful  spirit,  and  dishon- 
ours those  who  make  too  much  of  any  crea- 
ture. .  .  ." 

"O  Lord!  I  know  all  that!"  wailed  Barakah. 
"  But  she  disliked  my  child,  despised  him !  I  —  I 
saw  it !  " 

Conviction  that  the  portion  of  the  human  race 
from  which  she  sprang  beheld  her  son  as  little  better 
than  a  monkey,  tortured  Barakah.  She  had  looked 
upon  him  as  a  mediator,  but  now  sought  revenge. 
Hot,  feverish  dreams  of  hate  disturbed  her  rest ;  and 
when  a  spell  of  khamsin  weather  robbed  the  world  of 
energy  she  grew  as  weak  and  fretful  as  her  thoughts 
were  wild. 

Already  Barakah  had  kept  her  bed  a  fortnight 
longer  than  any  Eastern  woman  would  have  dreamt 
of  doing  after  childbirth.  The  lady  Fitnah,  seeing 
she  did  not  gain  strength,  believed  that  some  debili- 
tating vile  afrit  was  in  her.  The  Prankish  doctor 
said  there  was  no  cause  of  fear.  She  called  him  fool 
and  worse,  in  her  own  circle ;  since  by  his  disregard 
or  ignorance  of  pious  formulas  he  had  left  the  door 
ajar  for  evil  spirits.  Resolved  to  stop  the  mischief, 
when  no  man  was  by  she  hung  a  plant  of  garlic  in 
the  room,  burnt  potent  odours  till  its  air  grew  suffo- 
cating, and  dosed  the  patient  with  a  paste  com- 
pounded of  the  dust  of  mummies  mixed  with  human 
milk.  When  these  means  failed  to  drive  away  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  163 

enemy,  she  sat  down  in  despair  among  her  cronies, 
and  braced  herself  to  try  the  last  resort  of  all. 

This  was  the  "  zar  " —  a  very  awful  ceremony,  of 
which  she  was  exceedingly  afraid.  Her  wish  to  hold 
it  in  the  house  —  risking  the  Pasha's  favour,  and  her 
life  through  terror  —  was  proof  of  her  devoted  love 
for  Barakah.  The  dear  one  must  be  healed  at  any 
price. 

Accordingly,  she  summoned  negresses  of  those  who 
hold  familiar  intercourse  with  demons,  bought  a  kid 
and  several  fowls  alive,  and  made  arrangements  to 
secure  the  sickroom  to  herself  and  her  confederates 
for  two  good  hours  upon  a  certain  afternoon. 

Barakah  was  roused  out  of  a  troubled  sleep  by 
women  moving  out  the  furniture  from  both  bed- 
chamber and  salon,  and  covering  the  floor  with  worn- 
out  linen  and  the  cheapest  matting.  They  went,  and 
she  lay  wondering,  when  Fitnah  Khanum  came  and 
bade  her  have  no  fear.  The  ceremony  she  was 
going  to  witness  was  a  potent  medicine,  well  calcu- 
lated to  restore  her  health  completely.  Many  serv- 
ants, female  children,  and  familiars  of  the  household 
trooped  in  with  noiseless  feet  and  squatted  down 
along  the  wall.  Then  came  a  group  of  half  a  dozen 
negresses,  fantastically  dressed  in  rags  of  finery, 
with  ringing  anklets ;  one  of  whom  embraced  a  strug- 
gling little  goat,  while  the  others  bore  live  chickens 
by  the  feet.  Bold-eyed  and  with  a  swaggering  gait, 
they  marched  up  to  the  bed,  and  seemed  to  offer  up 
the  fowls  and  kid  to  Barakah,  who  could  not  under- 


VEILED  WOMEN 

stand  the  words  they  uttered  in  a  screeching  chant. 
They  then  danced  back  to  the  adjoining  room,  of 
which  the  door  stood  open.  Upon  the  threshold 
madness  seemed  to  seize  them.  They  fell  upon  the 
kid  with  cries  of  glee.  The  creature,  bleating  pit- 
eously,  was  flung  into  an  earthen  bowl  placed  there 
in  readiness.  Amid  mad  laughter  knives  were 
brandished  and  brought  down,  hands  helping  to  ex- 
tract the  creature's  life.  The  fowls  were  likewise 
gashed  and  torn  asunder;  the  matting  round  grew 
foul  with  steaming  entrails.  Another  minute  and  the 
slayers  reappeared,  their  black  arms  purpled  to  the 
elbow,  dripping  blood,  their  faces  and  their  lips  de- 
filed with  it;  and  then  began  a  devilish  dance  of  self- 
abandonment,  all  the  more  horrible  for  its  approach 
to  beauty.  The  sleek  skin  of  the  dancers  caught 
blue  lights;  their  fixed  eyes  gleamed  enormous,  like 
those  painted  on  the  lids  of  mummies.  Barakah  be- 
lieved herself  in  hell,  for  ever  lost;  it  was  as  if  an 
iron  hand  compressed,  her  throat.  Her  heart  beat 
wildly.  One  of  the  women,  the  most  shameless, 
lurched  towards  her,  stretching  out  a  blood-stained 
hand.  Her  heart  gave  one  tremendous  beat  and  then 
stood  still. 

When  she  recovered  consciousness  it  was  to  find 
the  lady  Fitnah  bending  over  her.  The  negresses 
had  gone,  the  room  was  cleansed,  the  furniture  re- 
placed exactly  as  before.  She  might  have  thought 
she  had  been  dreaming  had  not  YusuPs  mother  whis- 
pered eagerly: 


VEILED  WOMEN  165 

"  Breathe  not  a  word  to  Yusuf  or  our  lord  the 
Pasha.  Deny  by  Allah  that  thou  sawest  anything. 
If  not,  the  afrit  which  we  have  with  pains  extracted 
will  return  and  kill  thee." 

In  her  weak  state  of  mind,  oppressed  with  dreadful 
and  disgusting  images,  Barakah  believed  the  words 
and  shuddered.  She  was  ill  for  weeks. 


CHAPTER    XX 

DURING  the  heat  of  summer,  part  of  the  harim,  con- 
sisting of  the  ladies  Barakah  and  Fitnah,  with  their 
children  and  attendants,  stayed  at  a  farm  belonging 
to  the  Pasha,  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  near  Benha. 
The  journey  thither  was  performed  on  donkeys  in  a 
long  procession  with  a  eunuch  at  its  head  and  tail, 
a  eunuch  boy  leading  the  donkey  of  each  lady,  that 
she  might  have  freedom  to  hold  up  her  sunshade  and 
munch  nuts  and  sweetstuff.  The  slave-girls,  some 
of  them,  rode  two  together;  they  waxed  hilarious, 
exchanging  jests  with  all  who  passed  them  on  the 
dyke.  Their  going  raised  a  goodly  cloud  of  dust. 
The  house  to  which  they  went  was  large  and  formal, 
none  too  clean,  though  very  sparsely  furnished. 
Behind  it  was  a  filthy  yard  hemmed  in  by  hovels, 
where  dwelt  the  fellahm  who  worked  the  farm.  Be- 
fore it  was  a  garden  of  fruit  trees,  and  beyond  that 
a  plantation  of  young  date-palms.  There  was  also 
a  big  tree  beside  a  water-wheel,  where  the  ladies  took 
their  pleasure  in  the  shade.  The  land  was  abso- 
lutely flat  in  all  directions,  but  diversified  in  hue  by 
divers  crops,  broken  here  and  there  by  clumps  of 
trees  and  squat  mud  villages. 

Here    manners    were    relaxed;    for    all    the    peas- 
166 


VEILED  WOMEN  167 

ant  women  went  unveiled,  and  their  example  made 
the  slaves  less  strict  than  in  the  city.  The  lady 
Fitnah,  being  of  the  country,  took  delight  in  talk- 
ing with  the  villagers,  both  men  and  women,  and 
thus,  though  most  correct  in  her  apparel,  set  the 
fashion  of  unbending.  Yusuf,  who  had  now  a  Gov- 
ernment appointment,  and  the  Pasha  came  to  see 
them  when  they  had  the  leisure;  and  Ghandur  also 
travelled  down  to  see  his  wife. 

To  please  the  lady  Fitnah,  Barakah  gave  French 
and  English  lessons  to  the  children  in  the  mornings 
under  the  great  tree,  when  many  of  the  servants  also 
gathered  round  and  tried  to  learn.  She  was  begged 
to  be  particularly  strict  with  Hamdi,  whom  the  lady 
Fitnah  seemed  to  think  the  soul  of  wickedness,  as 
indeed  did  everybody  else,  making  his  life  a  burden 
with  perpetual  scolding. 

This  boy,  her  husband's  younger  brother,  was  at- 
tached to  Barakah  as  the  only  one  who  never  shook 
him  by  the  neck  or  cursed  him.  He  told  her  all  his 
woes,  and  brought  her  offerings  of  curious  things  he 
found  in  his  illicit  rambles.  He  was  always  stray- 
ing, though  with  no  worse  object,  he  asserted,  than 
the  wish  to  be  alone.  His  lady  mother  called  him 
"  stupid  Turk,"  vowing  that  he  was  all  his  father's 
child,  and  she  herself  had  neither  part  nor  lot  in  him ; 
though  Hamdi  was  the  true  Egyptian  adolescent, 
still  but  half  awake,  a  slave  to  every  breeze,  to  every 
odour,  and  fascinated  by  the  sight  of  gleaming 
objects.  He  would  sit  still  for  hours  in  contempla- 


168  VEILED  WOMEN 

tion  of  a  sunlit  blade  of  grass ;  at  other  times  he 
would  walk  miles,  drawn  on  invisibly,  with  great 
brown  eyes  which  seemed  to  harbour  visions.  Bara- 
kah  found  him  gentle  and  obedient.  In  truth,  his 
only  wickedness  that  she  could  see  consisted  in  re- 
sentment of  shrill  interruptions.  At  such  times  he 
would  battle  blindly  with  assailants,  cursing  them, 
and  crying  out,  in  his  despair: 

"  Am  I  not  a  man  full-grown  ?  Do  I  not  sleep  in 
the  selamlik?  Then  let  me  be,  or  it  shall  be  the 
worse  for  you,  by  Allah !  " 

"A  man  full-grown,  thou  sayest?"  screamed  the 
lady  Fitnah  one  evening  when  he  came  home  soaked 
in  mud  from  head  to  foot.  "  Listen,  O  child  of  dogs, 
O  malefactor!  Knowest  thou  what  I  shall  do  on  our 
return  to  town.  I  shall  marry  thee  at  once  to 
Na'imah,  thy  uncle's  child.  Thy  clothes  are  in  a 
filthy  state,  thy  tassel  gone.  Thou  hast  been 
sprawling  in  some  ditch,  O  piggish  boy!  By  the 
Prophet,  I  shall  do  as  I  have  said.  Sure,  matri- 
mony is  the  only  cure  for  one  like  thee.  Thou  shalt 
wed  Na'imah." 

"  Allah  forbid ! "  exclaimed  the  lad  with  fervour ; 
whereat  the  ladies  and  the  servants  burst  out  laugh- 
ing; for  Na'imah,  Leylah  Khanum's  youngest 
daughter,  had  been  Hamdi's  chief  tormentor  there 
at  home,  disturbing  his  still  dreams  with  impish  glee, 
and  quick  to  vanish. 

"  Is  it  not  cruel  thus  to  hound  me?  "  the  unlucky 
boy  asked  Barakah,  "  I  do  no  wrong ;  they  inter- 


VEILED  WOMEN  169 

fere  with  me.  And  now  my  mother  threatens  to 
unite  me  to  the  most  hateful  daughter  of  a  dog  that 
ever  yelped  and  bit." 

The  month  of  Ramadan  came  on  them  in  their 
country  life;  and  the  long  hours  of  heat  without  a 
bite  or  sup  made  everybody  irritable  except  Barakah 
and  the  wife  of  Ghandur,  who  were  both  exempt  from 
fasting  —  the  former  as  an  invalid,  the  latter  as  a 
nursing-mother.  The  slave-girls  lost  their  usual  de- 
light in  birds  and  greenery.  A  gun  fired  in  the  dis- 
tant market-town  announced  the  moment  of  release 
in  the  first  bloom  of  night;  but  the  party  failed  to 
hear  it  sometimes,  and  looked  out  for  the  lighting  of 
the  lamps  around  a  village  mosque  across  the  plain. 
At  once  arose  vast  sighs  of  praise  to  Allah;  ciga- 
rettes, prepared  in  readiness,  were  seized  and  lighted ; 
water  was  handed  round  and  food  set  out. 

It  was  at  that  blest  hour  upon  a  certain  evening 
of  the  sacred  month  that  a  rapturous  surprise  befell 
the  party.  A  little  cavalcade  was  seen  approaching 
on  the  dyke.  It  consisted  of  two  donkeys  and  a 
baggage  mule.  A  woman  sat  up  on  the  foremost 
donkey ;  on  the  second  rode  two  children,  boy  and 
girl ;  while  the  mule  was  led  by  a  black-bearded,  tur- 
baned  man  of  noble  presence.  The  ladies,  sitting  in 
the  garden,  peered,  then  shouted: 

"Tahir!  It  is  Tahir!  Tahir,  the  great  singer! 
O  most  blessed  day!  Enter,  O  son  of  honour! 
Deign  to  favour  us !  " 

Learning  that  the  master  of  the  house  was  absent, 


170  VEILED  WOMEN 

Tahir  would  not  enter,  but  sought  a  lodging  in  the 
hovels  of  the  fellahin,  whither  a  rich  meal  was  sent 
to  him.  But  after  supper  he  came  up  into  the  gar- 
den with  his  lute,  followed  timidly  by  all  the  popula- 
tion of  the  hamlet ;  and  his  wife  and  children  stole 
into  the  room  where  all  the  women  sat  with  windows 
open,  looking  forward  to  the  concert.  Once  more 
his  little  daughter  drew  to  Barakah,  and,  having 
kissed  her  hand,  sat  down  and  leaned  against  her. 
"  I  love  thee,"  she  explained,  with  a  soft  look ;  and 
then  with  a  wide  yawn  exclaimed :  "  I  am  so  tired !  " 
Barakah  put  her  arm  about  her,  and  the  child  seemed 
happy.  She  did  not  go  to  sleep  this  time,  however, 
but  lay  still,  fondling  her  protector's  hand,  and 
gazing  up  at  the  great  stars. 

"  See,  what  a  man  he  is ! "  exclaimed  the  Galla 
slave,  Fatumah,  her  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  her 
mistress,  all  respect  forgotten  in  intense  excitement. 
"  He  does  not  even  stay  to  tune  his  lute.  All  that 
is  for  the  common  singers.  He  is  much  above  it. 
By  Allah,  he  would  sing  to  a  dog's  howl  and  make 
it  musical." 

One  twang  of  the  lute,  and  then  the  magic  voice 
arose  from  out  the  shadow  of  the  trees.  It  gave 
a  living  spirit  to  the  starlight,  a  soul  to  all  the  nights 
that  ever  were  or  would  be.  It  seemed  illumination, 
yet  was  all  of  mystery ;  it  gave  the  listener  a  sense  of 
floating  disembodied. 

Once,  when   Tahir  paused  to  rest,  the  voice   of 


VEILED  WOMEN  171 

Hamdi  was  heard  in  the  garden,  begging  for  leave 
to  hold  his  lute  and  play  it. 

"  That  boy  again !  Cut  short  his  life !  "  cried 
Fitnah  Khanum.  "  Devoid  of  manners  as  of  sensi- 
bility. Remove  him  quickly !  " 

But  Tahir  answered  pleasantly :  "  Here,  O  my 
son!  Take  it  and  play  for  me.  Observe  the  meas- 
ure. Strike  loudly  in  the  pauses,  softly  while  I 
sing."  And  Fatumah,  quite  beside  herself,  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Behold  the  man  he  is !  He  can  dispense  with 
all  things.  That  which  would  ruin  the  perform- 
ance of  another  singer  is  a  joy  to  him." 

Hamdi  acquitted  himself  fairly  well  of  the  task 
of  accompaniment  and  won  a  word  of  praise  from 
Tahir,  which  so  moved  him  that  when  the  singer  was 
departing  the  next  morning  early,  he  stole  out  to 
him,  and,  looking  round  to  ascertain  that  he  was 
heard  of  none  save  Barakah,  entreated: 

"  Take  me  with  thee,  O  my  uncle.  Instruct  me, 
let  me  play  for  thee  for  ever.  This  girl,  thy 
daughter,  this  little  sugar-plum,  shall  be  my  bride. 
Then  we  can  all  live  happily  together." 

"  The  honour  is  too  high  for  us,  O  my  small 
lord ! "  the  singer  answered,  with  his  charming  smile. 
"  Thy  lot  in  life  is  better  far,  in  sh' Allah,  than  that 
of  us  poor  players." 

"  But  they  say  that  thou  canst  earn  a  hundred 
pounds  a  night." 


172  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  Seldom  as  much  as  that,  beloved.  And  my 
living  is  at  Allah's  pleasure.  It  is  a  gift  from  Him, 
to  whom  be  praise.  Come  to  me  four  years  hence, 
and  we  will  think  about  it." 

With  a  dignified  salute  he  started  off;  the  chil- 
dren, on  their  donkey,  waved  their  hands  and 
screamed  farewell.  Hamdi  was  left  standing  dis- 
appointed and  a  trifle  injured. 

"  O  my  misfortune ! "  he  exclaimed  to  Barakah. 
"  I  would  have  given  my  right  hand  to  go  with  him. 
Like  that  I  could  escape  from  persecution  and  ac- 
cursed Na'imah,  and  dwell  for  ever  in  the  sound  of 
music  which  transports  my  soul.  Allah  is  great- 
est!" 

And  he  heaved  a  mighty  sigh. 

When  the  month  of  fasting  ended,  there  were  mild 
rejoicings.  The  fellahin  fired  guns  and  let  off  fire- 
works. The  women  smoked  too  much  and  over-ate 
themselves,  and  felt  aggrieved  at  being  far  from 
Cairo,  where  the  means  of  satisfaction  were  more 
varied  and  abundant. 

Then  Yusuf  and  the  Pasha  came  and  stayed  a 
week ;  delighted,  coming  fresh  to  it,  with  the  unoccu- 
pied existence  over  which  the  others  had  begun  to 
yawn.  At  the  end  of  the  week  they  all  returned  to 
Cairo,  the  procession  of  the  ladies  keeping  half  a 
mile  behind  their  lords.  The  first  view  of  the  citadel 
on  one  hand,  the  pyramids  of  Gizah  on  the  other, 
called  forth  thankful  shouts.  The  coloured,  noisy 
streets,  the  odours  sweet  and  foul,  the  atmosphere  of 


VEILED  WOMEN  173 

teeming  life,  excited  Barakah.  She  joined  in  excla- 
mations of  delight. 

While  she  gazed  with  strange  eyes  at  her  gilded 
salon,  superintending  the  disposal  of  her  baggage, 
a  letter  was  presented  to  her  by  Fatumah.  It  had 
been  given  to  the  latter  that  same  minute  by  Saw- 
wab  the  eunuch,  who  had  had  it  in  safe  keeping  for 
two  months.  It  was  from  Mrs.  Cameron. 

Barakah,  frowning,  opened  it  and  read: 

"  It  grieves  me  much  to  learn  that  you  have  been 
seriously  ill.  I  heard  of  this  quite  by  accident  from 
Doctor  Torranelli,  whom  I  chanced  to  meet  at  a 
friend's  house.  In  some  anxiety,  I  tried  to  call 
upon  you  yesterday,  but  learnt  that  you  are  absent 
in  the  country.  I  trust  that  the  dear  baby  flour- 
ishes. He  must  be  a  great  comfort  and  delight  to 
you.  Please  never  forget  that  I  am  your  sincere 
friend." 

With  an  exclamation  of  annoyance,  she  tore  up 
the  note. 


CHAPTER    XXI 

THE  idea  of  seeing  Mrs.  Cameron  again  was  quite 
intolerable.  She  therefore  wrote  that  lady  a  brief 
note,  an  asp  for  venom,  designed  to  terminate  ac- 
quaintance and  to  rankle,  and  plunged  into  the 
harim  pleasures  with  sensations  of  defiance. 

One  morning,  as  she  lounged  upon  her  cushioned 
window-seat,  smoking  her  narghileh  and  listening  to 
the  voices  wafted  with  the  sunlight  through  her 
lattice,  Fatumah  came  and  with  a  grin  announced 
that  Hamdi  Bey  desired  an  audience  of  her  Honour. 
She  gave  the  word,  and  in  came  Hamdi,  knuckling 
his  two  eyes. 

"  O  day  of  pitch !  "  he  cried.  "  O  vile  nefarious 
day!  O  my  beloved  sister,  hide  me,  save  me!  My 
father  has  enforced  my  mother's  harsh  command.  I 
am  to  be  married  to-day  to  that  unholy  child  of  dogs 
—  against  my  will.  I  wished  to  wait  a  thousand 
years.  Ghandur  is  waiting  at  this  minute  to  con- 
duct me  to  the  bath." 

As  if  in  confirmation  of  his  words,  the  voice  of 
Ghandur  shouted  in  the  street  without :  "  Make 
haste,  O  Hamdi !  Lo,  the  sun  is  high !  The  shadow 
is  already  on  the  stone  thou  fixedst  for  a  limit  when 
I  let  thee  enter." 

174 


VEILED  WOMEN  175 

"Thou  hearest,"  snuffled  Hamdi,  "how  they 
hound  me?  He  has  my  wedding  garments  in  a 
bundle  —  O  my  hatred !  Guests  have  been  bidden 
—  may  their  fathers  perish !  Go  to  my  mother 
(she  will  hear  thee)  ;  plead  that  I  may  be  allowed 
a  few  months'  respite.  It  is  Na'imah  who,  through 
her  mother,  hastens  on  the  match.  She  would  de- 
stroy my  new-found  freedom  and  torment  me." 

Barakah  could  not  help  laughing,  though  she 
uttered  words  of  comfort.  Na'imah  was  a  very 
pretty  girl,  she  pointed  out,  and  not  ill-natured, 
though  a  great  coquette.  He  would  have  none  of  it, 
but  shook  his  head  with  ominous  frowns. 

"  I  hate  her !  "  he  declared.  "  And  knowest  thou? 
I  have  a  mind  to  drown  myself  this  morning  at  the 
bath." 

Then,  as  Ghandur's  calls  became  insistent,  he  left 
the  room  with  slow,  reluctant  steps. 

The  wedding  was  a  small  affair,  the  parties  being 
children  of  one  house,  and  their  betrothal  (which 
is  legal  marriage)  having  taken  place  in  infancy. 
The  bride,  enthroned,  showed  none  of  the  reluctance 
felt  by  Hamdi.  A  bright-eyed  and  determined  little 
maiden,  she  was  wreathed  in  smiles ;  and  when  Bara- 
kah inquired  if  she  were  truly  happy,  replied,  "  The 
praise  to  Allah !  "  with  decision. 

Next  day  the  house  was  full  of  smothered  laughter. 
Hamdi  was  completely  changed.  He  and  his  bride 
were  now  the  fondest  pair.  The  lady  Fitnah,  who 
had  always  held  that  matrimony  was  a  panacea  for 


176  VEILED  WOMEN 

the  crotchets  of  young  people,  male  and  female,  ren- 
dered praise  where  praise  was  due.  For  many  days, 
through  shame,  the  bridegroom  hid  from  Barakah, 
and  from  every  one  else  to  whom  he  had  proclaimed 
his  dread  of  marriage. 

When  she  told  Gulbeyzah  of  the  case  as  of  a  kind 
of  miracle,  the  Circassian  answered: 

"  I  perceive  no  cause  for  wonder.  The  bride- 
groom had  not  thought  of  her  before  in  that  rela- 
tion, had  not  truly  known  her  —  that  is  all.  Love 
is  a  blessing  that  brings  gratitude  as  surely  as  the 
Nile  makes  plants  to  grow." 

Gulbeyzah  and  Bedr-ul-Budur  —  nay,  all  her 
friends  —  viewed  love,  apart  from  any  individual 
man,  as  a  material  boon.  Bred  up  to  it  and  ripened 
for  it  cunningly,  they  were  ready  to  adore  the  man 
who  gave  it,  however  unattractive  from  a  European 
standpoint.  This  view  of  love,  when  realized,  ex- 
plained to  Barakah  the  happiness  which  every  girl 
of  her  acquaintance  seemed  to  find  in  marriage,  even 
where,  as  in  Gulbeyzah's  case,  the  husband  was  a 
greybeard  thrice  her  age.  Those  who  possessed  it 
were  content  and  virtuous.  In  those  who  had  it  not, 
or  were  deprived  of  it,  all  amorous  crime  was 
reckoned  pardonable. 

Gulbeyzah  and  Bedr-ul-Budur  explained  all  this 
to  Barakah  in  thrilling  tones,  as  if  they  uttered 
truths  divine. 

"  Behold  the  wisdom  of  our  Faith,"  they  said, 
"  which  grants  to  every  woman  this  delight  in  secret. 


VEILED  WOMEN  177 

Women  can  never  truly  be  the  friends  of  men;  their 
soul  is  different.  If  thrown  with  men  for  long,  they 
feel  fatigue.  They  ask  of  men  one  thing  —  the  gift 
of  love.  Here  we  consort  with  women,  true  com- 
panions, all  day  long;  and  in  the  night  the  bride- 
groom comes,  and  we  are  blest.  Is  not  this  better 
than  the  way  of  Europe,  which  sets  at  nought  appar- 
ent truths  —  as  that  most  men  love  more  than  one 
of  us,  whereas  most  women  need  but  love  itself,  the 
hope  of  children?  " 

That  was  one  of  the  occasions  when  Barakah 
would  have  given  anything  to  have  an  English- 
woman present,  and  to  watch  her  face.  Another 
came  a  few  days  later  when  she  called  upon 
Gulbeyzah.  Alighting  from  her  carriage  at  the 
palace  door,  she  saw  a  baby's  coffin  being  carried 
out,  and  thought  at  once  of  turning  home  again. 
But  already  smiling  eunuchs  stood  before  her  bidding 
welcome,  beseeching  her  to  deign  to  follow  them  to 
the  haramlik.  Gulbeyzah  met  her  with  a  kiss  on 
either  cheek. 

"  Come,  help  us  to  console  Nasibah,"  she  ex- 
claimed. "  Her  baby  died  this  night.  She  is  dis- 
tracted." 

She  drew  her  friend  into  a  chamber  where  the 
childless  mother  lay,  face  downward,  moaning,  while 
the  others  tried  to  soothe  her. 

"  It  is  no  matter,"  was  the  burden  of  their  con- 
solations. "  It  is  not  as  if  thou  wert  left  altogether 
desolate.  Are  we  not  one,  we  four?  Thou  hast  two 


178  VEILED  WOMEN 

children  left,  since  ours  are  thine,  and  in  a  day  or 
two  Gulbeyzah  will  present  thee  with  a  third,  in  sh' 
Allah!" 

"  In  sh' Allah !  "  cried  Gulbeyzah.  "  And  it  shall 
be  thine  entirely.  Directly  it  is  born  it  shall  be  sent 
to  thee  to  nurse.  I  will  forget  it.  And  when  it  is 
thy  turn  again,  thou  wilt  repay  me.  Is  not  that  a 
good  idea?  " 

Oh  that  English  people,  who  regard  polygamy  as 
something  dreadful,  could  have  witnessed  that  small 
scene!  The  wish,  escaping  Barakah  at  unawares, 
begot  a  heartache,  as  she  realised  that  all  she  saw 
and  heard  for  their  instruction  was  thwarted  of  its 
natural  vent  for  evermore. 

She  told  herself  that  she  was  happy  in  this  life; 
and  so  she  was  upon  the  surface,  where  she  kept  her 
thoughts,  not  daring  to  pry  down  into  the  depths. 
In  the  early  days  she  had  desired  more  knowledge 
of  the  Muslim  faith,  and  a  woman  learned  in  religion 
had  been  hired  to  teach  her.  But  the  fury  of  thai- 
faith,  the  scathing  nature  of  its  truths,  appalled  her, 
awaking  recollections  of  a  creed  more  sentimental, 
with  distressing  doubts.  She  very  soon  gave  up  her 
lessons,  closed  the  eyes  of  her  intelligence,  and  reso- 
lutely sought  her  pleasure  in  the  passing  hour. 

Still  there  were  moments  when  vague  fears  op- 
pressed her.  When,  in  the  third  year  of  her  mar- 
riage, she  brought  forth  a  still-born  child,  frightful 
abysses  seemed  to  yawn  around  her,  and  for  days 
she  was  afflicted  with  a  kind  of  nightmare  of  misgiv- 


VEILED  WOMEN  179 

ing,  derived  from  recollection  of  the  Zar  and  other 
horrors. 

The  Eastern  ladies  were  so  calm  and  strong  com- 
pared with  her;  they  flinched  at  nothing  except  im- 
propriety. The  slaughter  of  a  thousand  sheep  at 
Curban  Bairam,  turning  the  kitchen  court  into  a 
shambles,  caused  them  no  disgust.  It  was  ordained 
of  God,  they  told  her,  and  it  fed  the  poor.  They 
had  no  horror  of  disease  or  death  or  filthy  persons, 
and,  though  most  cleanly,  looked  on  vermin  philo- 
sophically. The  Turks  and  the  Circassians,  with 
their  grand  ideals,  appeared  more  dreadful  than  the 
Africans,  whose  faith  was  childlike.  Barakah  pre- 
ferred the  latter.  Her  pleasure  was  in  feasts  and 
little  outings,  in  story-tellers,  dancers,  and  musicians 
who  beguile  the  time ;  her  only  rapture  was  in  adora- 
tion of  her  small  Muhammed. 

Her  hidden  yearnings  and  beliefs  clung  round  the 
boy.  She  dwelt  in  longing  for  the  days  when  he 
should  be  her  friend.  He  was  her  hope,  the  product 
of  both  parts  of  her  divided  life ;  giving  it  sense  and 
sequence,  and,  in  the  end  perhaps,  if  Allah  willed, 
consistency.  She  dreamt  of  a  great  future  for  him, 
to  astonish  Europe.  But  in  the  meanwhile,  being 
sometimes  dull,  she  felt  the  need  of  an  intelligent, 
discreet  companion. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

ON  the  recurrence  of  certain  anniversaries,  at  the 
two  Bairams  and  in  the  month  of  Ragab,  all  Muslim 
Cairo  left  the  city  of  the  living  for  the  cities  of  the 
dead  adjoining  it  upon  the  east  and  south.  Mothers 
of  sorrow  like  Murjanah  Khanum,  whose  heart  was 
with  her  children  in  the  grave,  inhabited  the  mausole- 
ums for  a  week  or  more;  but  the  majority  performed 
a  one-day  visit. 

Blue  night  alive  with  stars  was  at  her  lattice  when 
Barakah  was  softly  roused  by  her  attendants  and 
arrayed  in  proper  garb.  She  found  Leylah  Kha- 
num and  her  daughters  waiting  for  her  by  the 
mabeyn  screen,  where  the  eunuch  had  a  heap  of  roses 
and  of  henna-flowers  to  give  them,  as  well  as  branches 
of  palm  and  sweet  basil.  With  these  they  made 
their  way  out  to  the  carriage. 

The  principal  streets  were  thronged  with  people 
going  in  the  same  direction :  men  in  clean  robes,  who 
yawned,  still  half  asleep;  women,  black-shrouded, 
bearing  palm-branches,  with  trays  of  eatables  upon 
their  heads ;  small  girls  in  tinselled  gauze  of  divers 
colours,  and  boys  in  stiff  new  clothing  —  all  with 
earnest  faces,  pressing  out  towards  the  cemeteries. 
Barakah  kept  peeping  through  the  shutter  at  the 

180 


VEILED  WOMEN  181 

solemn  crowd,  to  which  the  fitful  gleam  of  swinging 
lanterns  added  weirdness.  The  concourse  gave  forth 
a  dull  clatter,  above  which  was  heard  the  rumble  of 
the  carriage  wheels  upon  the  stones,  the  shouts  the 
coachman  raised  to  clear  a  way.  Then  suddenly  all 
noise  of  going  ceased,  although  their  wheels  still 
rolled  and  the  besetting  throng  was  even  denser  than 
before.  They  were  on  sand.  The  people  murmured 
like  a  shell.  The  desert  hill  rose  imminent  against 
the  stars.  On  all  sides  spread  a  wilderness  of  hum- 
ble graves,  each  with  its  family  group  encamped  be- 
side the  headstone.  Then  came  a  steep  incline,  up 
which  the  horses  struggled  under  whip  and  cursing; 
and  lo!  they  were  once  more  in  city  streets.  On 
every  hand  rose  shadowy  buildings,  domes,  and  min- 
arets. A  swarm  of  beggars  went  from  door  to  door 
with  sacks  and  trays  collecting  doles  of  food. 

Alighting  at  the  gate  of  a  large  mosque-like  build- 
ing, Barakah  and  her  companions  were  conducted 
through  a  courtyard  to  the  women's  quarters.  Fit- 
nah  and  Murjanah,  who  had  spent  the  night  there 
with  attendants,  made  them  welcome;  after  which 
they  paid  a  visit  to  the  mausoleum  proper,  or  the 
women's  side  of  it  —  for  the  house  of  death  itself 
was  subdivided  by  a  harim  screen.  Here,  in  a  gloom 
made  spectral  by  the  hanging  lamps,  women  of  re- 
pute for  sanctity,  hired  mourners,  were  reciting  the 
Goran,  and  through  the  screen  some  male  professors 
could  be  heard  performing  the  same  office  in  strong 
nasal  tones.  The  visitors  bestowed  their  flowers  and 


182  VEILED  WOMEN 

bits  of  palm  among  the  graves,  and,  having  said 
some  prayers,  returned  to  the  apartment,  where 
preparations  for  a  feast  were  being  made. 

Already  the  muezzin's  chant  announced  the  dawn. 
Murjanah  Khanum  was  at  her  devotions  on  a  corner 
of  the  dais.  The  other  ladies,  who  deemed  prayer 
the  man's  affair,  helped  in  the  work  of  setting  out 
the  breakfast.  While  this  was  going  on,  a  woman 
and  three  children  rushed  in  from  the  twilight  court, 
and  with  loud  blessings  began  kissing  hands. 

"  It  is  the  wife  and  children  of  the  guardian  of 
this  place,  who  makes  the  graves,"  Na'imah,  her 
nearest  neighbour,  informed  Barakah.  "  They  come 
for  their  accustomed  gifts  of  food  and  raiment. 
See,  Fitnah  Khanum  is  just  going  to  bestow  them 
in  the  name  of  all  of  us." 

A  minute  later  the  grave-digger's  wife  and  chil- 
dren were  at  Barakah  kissing  her  hand  repeatedly 
and  crying,  "  May  it  be  many  a  year  ere  we  receive 
thee  here,  O  queen  of  charms." 

The  Englishwoman  shivered  at  this  form  of  com- 
pliment; and  then  a  strange  old  woman,  who  had 
been  observing  her,  sidled  across  the  room  and  squat- 
ted at  her  feet. 

"  O  Umm  ed-Dahak,  welcome ! "  exclaimed  Na'i- 
mah. "  Where  hast  thou  been  this  long  while,  that 
we  have  not  seen,  thee?  There  has  been  no  fun  at 
all  in  life  without  thee.  How  is  thy  health?  What 
new  jests  dost  thou  bring  us?" 

But  the  old  woman  had  not  come,  it  seemed,  to 


VEILED  WOMEN  18S 

talk  to  Na'imah;  for,  replying  to  these  questions  in 
the  briefest  manner  possible,  she  addressed  herself  to 
Barakah  in  coaxing  whispers. 

"Art  thou  not  happy,  O  my  pearl?  I  could  see 
from  over  there  that  something  ailed  thee.  Is  it  the 
thought  of  death,  the  air  of  tombs?  The  spectacle 
of  graves  should  rather  cheer  the  living.  Give  praise 
to  God  that  thou  art  still  alive;  enjoy  existence! 
Allah  is  merciful!  It  is  certain  that  He  has  made 
provision  for  our  sex  hereafter  —  a  finer  paradise 
than  that  of  men,  in  sh' Allah!  Ha,  ha!  What 
faces,  thinkest  thou,  the  men  would  wear  if  they  knew 
we  had  heavenly  youths  for  our  enjoyment,  in  our 
place  apart?  By  Allah,  it  would  spoil  their  pleas- 
ure in  the  black-eyed  maids !  I  see  them  sulking  even 
in  the  home  of  bliss.  .  .  .  The  air  is  chill  thus  early ; 
the  end  of  night  is  always  a  sad  hour.  A  delicate 
soft  flower  like  thee  is  dashed  by  it.  Come,  let  me 
talk  to  warm  thee.  I  am  called  the  Mother  of 
Laughter,  thou  hast  heard !  .  .  . 

"  Knowest  thou  what  my  daughter  said  in  her  soul 
when  first  her  spouse  unveiled  her?  She  said  (and 
be  the  saying  far  from  thee),  the  while  she  stood 
with  eyes  downcast  and  bosom  rising,  falling,  "  May 
Allah  strike  me  blind  this  minute  if  I  am  half  so  in- 
nocent as  thou  art,  O  my  knowing  lord ! '  And  she 
managed  him,  I  can  assure  thee.  Ah,  she  fooled 
him  perfectly  —  exclaiming  ever  at  his  wisdom,  bow- 
ing to  his  lightest  word.  It  is  thus  we  subtle  ones 
beguile  the  world  —  the  great  strong  simpleton !  — 


184  VEILED  WOMEN 

never  opposing,  lest  he  knock  us  down.  By  Allah, 
I  must  ask  thy  pardon  for  thus  prattling;  but  ladies 
condescend  to  find  my  talk  amusing.  I  can  recount 
the  origin  of  all  that  is,  being  most  learned  in  re- 
ligious matters.  If  I  chose,  I  could  be  howling  with 
those  cats  in  there," —  she  nodded  towards  the  hired 
performers  in  the  tomb, — "  but  they  are  hypocrites 
and  gloomy.  I  love  merriment.  It  has  long  been 
my  desire  to  meet  a  foreign  lady,  to  whom  I  might 
impart  my  knowledge  of  this  land.  The  Franks 
have  great  intelligence,  and  would  admire  my  lore. 
All  the  stories  of  the  harim  I  can  teach  thee.  .  .  . 

"  Thou  knowest  the  three  wives  of  Ali  Bey  El 
Halebi.  The  red-haired  one  —  the  former  slave  — 
was  killed  last  night.  I  had  it  but  an  hour  ago 
from  a  sure  source.  Her  sin,  though  great,  was  par- 
donable, Allah  knows.  Her  husband  had  neglected 
her  disgracefully ;  the  fact  is  known.  She  turned 
for  comfort  to  a  street  musician.  She  lost  her  wit, 
it  seemed,  and  made  confession.  I  could  have  saved 
her,  with  the  help  of  Allah,  had  she  come  to  me. 
The  eunuchs  held  her  so  —  and,  click !  her  neck  was 
severed.  Her  corpse  is  floating  down  the  Nile,  dis- 
membered or  buried  in  the  garden  —  Allah  knows ! 
Ah !  I  could  keep  thee  interested  for  a  year  together." 

The  old  creature's  flattery,  more  subtle  in  the  tone 
and  manner  than  the  words  convey,  was  irresistible; 
her  twinkling  eyes  and  ever  shifting  wrinkles  aroused 
the  Englishwoman's  sense  of  humour,  which  had  long 
been  dormant. 


VEILED  WOMEN  185 

"  Praise  be  to  Allah,  thou  art  better ! "  smiled  the 
crone. 

The  sun  had  risen  now;  the  lamps  were  useless; 
the  city  of  the  dead  was  blushing  like  the  rose ;  the 
chanting  of  the  readers  in  the  tomb  had  lost  its  sad- 
ness. Barakah  was  staring  at  the  strange  old 
woman's  face,  now  plainly  visible.  Where  had  she 
known  it?  Feature  for  feature,  it  resembled  one 
which  had  been  long  imprinted  in  her  memory. 
Umm  ed-Dahak  grinned  when  she  became  aware  of 
this  perplexity.  With  a  very  roguish  look  for  one 
so  old,  she  laid  her  cheek  upon  her  open  palm  and 
whispered,  "  Yusuf !  Come !  "  It  was  the  same  old 
creature  who,  luring  the  future  bride  of  Yusuf  from 
her  chamber  in  Muhammad  Pasha's  house,  had  been 
seized  and  beaten  by  the  eunuchs  in  the  hall,  and 
never  seen  again  until  this  day. 

"  Rememberest  thou  ?  "  she  slyly  asked.  "  Allah 
witness,  I  was  tempted  with  a  bribe.  Young  men 
are  devils !  Never  ask  me  to  explain.  I  cannot  bear 
to  be  reminded  of  it,  may  Our  Lord  forgive  me !  We 
are  all  weak  creatures  and  succumb  occasionally ;  but 
Fitnah  Khanum  will  assure  thee  I  am  to  be  trusted." 

With  that  and  a  most  friendly  smile,  she  edged 
away,  repairing  straight  to  Fitnah  Khanum,  with 
whom  she  held  some  animated  conversation  in  low 
tones.  The  lady,  at  her  instance,  shortly  came 
across  to  Barakah  and  whispered: 

"  That  old  woman  seeks  thy  patronage.  I  my- 
self have  found  her  useful  and  obliging.  To  thee, 


186  VEILED  WOMEN 

a  foreigner,  she  could  afford  much  help.  Thou 
needest  some  one.  Umm  ed-Dahak  ii  the  best  I 
know." 

"Umm  ed-Dahak!"  cried  out  Na'imah.  "Why 
there  is  no  creature  in  the  world  to  match  her  for 
facetiousness.  She  was  the  rapture  of  our  life  as 
children.  Nobody  could  be  dull  or  sad  with  Umrn 
ed-Dahak.  She  is  like  a  monkey  and  a  clever  serv- 
ant and  a  mother  all  in  one !  " 

This  joyful  cry  was  overheard  by  Leylah  Khanum, 
who  frowned  upon  her  daughter  and  rebuked  her 
sharply.  In  that  place  conversation  must  be  held 
in  whispers  and  only  ritual  words  pronounced  aloud. 
The  party  breakfasted  in  solemn  silence,  to  the 
sound  of  chanting  from  the  tomb.  But  the  aged 
Mother  of  Laughter  smiled  and  nodded  —  even 
winked  —  at  Barakah  whenever  their  eyes  met, 
which  was  not  seldom;  and  the  Englishwoman  had 
a  new  sensation  of  relief  and  sympathy.  At  last  she 
had  found  somebody  who  understood  her. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 

UPON  the  morrow  Barakah  had  quite  forgotten  the 
old  woman ;  she  was  lounging  on  a  sofa,  smoking 
after  breakfast,  watching  the  slave-girls  dress 
Muhammad,  when  Umm  ed-Dahak  stole  in  bare- 
foot, making  reverence.  The  crone  sank  down  be- 
fore her  as  of  right,  and  kissing  her  feet,  asked  how 
she  did  and  praised  her  loveliness.  Then,  looking 
at  the  infant,  she  exclaimed  in  natural  tones,  "  Ma 
sh'Allah!  May  Our  Lord  preserve  him  in  all  times 
and  places ! "  and  straightway  began  making  baby 
noises. 

Barakah  thought  the  moment  opportune  for  get- 
ting at  the  secret  of  that  incident  which  teased  her 
memory.  But  Umm  ed-Dahak,  though  she  an- 
swered volubly,  made  no  disclosure.  Indeed,  as  Bar- 
akah soon  learnt,  that  seeming  reckless  chatterer  was 
in  the  habit  of  imparting  only  what  she  chose  to  tell. 
It  was  manifest  that  half  her  compliments  were  in- 
sincere, nor  did  she  take  the  slightest  trouble  to  dis- 
guise the  fact ;  but  in  the  intervals  of  soporific  fiction 
and  pure  blandishment  she  spoke  of  things  worth 
knowing  in  a  tone  of  frank  good-will.  She  knew  the 
why  and  how  of  every  custom,  the  stories  giving  rise 
to  every  proverb,  and  was  so  acute  a  judge  of  human 

187 


188  VEILED  WOMEN 

character  that  her  gossip  had  the  flavour  of  an  in- 
tellectual game.  Her  wiles,  it  seemed,  were  worn  to 
show  her  cleverness,  or  cynically,  to  travesty  arts 
which  flourish  in  this  transitory  world. 

She  became  a  member  of  the  household,  but  with 
privileges.  Barakah  was  the  sultan,  she  the  grand 
vizier,  it  was  agreed.  No  monarch  ever  had  a  more 
delightful  minister.  She  made  the  slave-girls  more 
attentive  to  their  mistress,  whose  comfort  she  in- 
creased in  a  variety  of  ways.  She  knew  where  to  lay 
her  hands  upon  the  leading  story-tellers  and  musi- 
cians, and  was  herself  the  most  accomplished  female 
mountebank  at  that  time  living.  She  soon  learnt 
every  mood  of  her  protectress,  and  its  antidote. 
The  latest  scandal  dwelt  at  her  tongue's  tip. 

The  whole  harim  knew  Umm  ed-Dahak  as  a  joker. 
Slaves  from  outside  were  always  coining  pretexts  to 
enter  the  apartment,  just  to  look  at  her,  and  the  more 
frivolous  among  the  ladies  came  to  hear  her  stories. 

"  I  am  for  them  a  comical  performance,  not  a 
child  of  Adam,"  she  told  Barakah.  "  How  different 
from  thy  kindness,  O  my  sovereign  lady!  Thy 
gracious  condescension  feeds  and  clothes  me." 

Therewith  she  kissed  the  hand  of  Barakah,  who 
was  affected.  By  such  small  means  did  she  confirm 
her  sway. 

Her  intelligence,  her  laughing  view  of  life,  were 
stimulating,  and  prevented  Barakah  from  brooding 
upon  hopeless  problems. 


VEILED  WOMEN  189 

Without  attempting  to  fatigue  her  mind  in  vain 
attempts  to  grasp  the  universe  —  as  Europeans  do, 
inviting  pessimism  —  this  old  woman  took  her  por- 
tion as  it  came,  with  relish  and  a  very  searching 
scrutiny.  She  likened  herself  sometimes  to  a  fisher 
of  the  Nile,  who  all  his  life  frequents  one  reach  alone. 
He  knows  the  currents  and  the  mud-banks,  marks  the 
winds,  and,  without  preoccupation  with  the  river's 
source  or  outlet,  is  cunning  in  the  art  of  bringing 
fish  to  land.  The  soul  of  her  philosophy  was  non- 
resistance;  her  morality  held  all  means  lawful  to 
escape  oppression. 

"  God  is  gracious  and  all-knowing,"  she  would 
shrug.  "  He  gives  to  all  His  creatures,  great  and 
small,  the  wherewithal  to  move  in  their  appointed 
element  —  to  birds  wings,  fins  to  fishes,  guile  to 
women." 

In  her  time,  she  admitted,  many  sins  had  soiled 
her  hands ;  shameful  employments  had  defiled  her 
countenance.  They  would  be  pardoned,  being  but 
a  means  to  live.  She  held,  against  the  world's  opin- 
ion, that  Allah  is  indulgent  to  the  faults  of  women 
and  even  has  a  secret  fondness  for  them.  Yet,  with 
her  guile,  she  had  an  admiration  for  pure  virtue,  a 
teardrop  for  true  love,  wherever  found.  And  with 
all  her  common  sense  and  her  acuteness  she  was  su- 
perstitious. As  the  fisher  of  the  Nile,  her  chosen 
image,  wears  an  amulet  and  names  the  name  of  power 
before  he  casts  his  net,  so  Umm  ed-Dahak  armed  her- 


190  VEILED  WOMEN 

self  against  malignant  influences.  Her  belief  in 
witchcraft,  philtres,  and  all  kinds  of  charms  was 
quite  beyond  the  reach  of  argument. 

The  old  woman  never  asked  for  any  wages.  She 
took  what  food  she  wanted,  helped  herself  to  cig- 
arettes, and  called  for  a  narghileh  when  the  fancy 
seized  her.  By  the  Pasha's  order,  in  accordance 
with  a  pious  custom  observed  at  that  time  in  good 
Muslim  houses,  eatables,  such  as  meat  and  milk  and 
vegetables  which  might  go  bad,  were  not  kept  over- 
night, the  remainder  of  each  day's  provision  being 
given  in  the  evening  to  the  poor  dependants.  Of 
this  dole  Umm  ed-Dahak  claimed  her  share.  If  she 
required  a  garment  or  a  gift  of  money,  she  did  not 
beg  for  it,  but  told  some  tortuous  and  lengthy  story 
which  ended  in  a  present  as  snakes  end  in  tails. 
When  Barakah  saw  through  the  artifice,  she  was  in 
no  way  disconcerted.  She  merely  smiled  and  praised 
her  quick  intelligence. 

"  Her  need  is  real,  for  she  is  poor,"  said  Fitnah 
Khanum,  when  Barakah  remarked  on  the  old  woman's 
foibles.  "  But  she  loves  subtlety  far  more  than  com- 
fort, and  would  refuse  high  monthly  wages,  to  ob- 
tain a  lesser  sum  by  stealth  and  coaxing,  as  occasion 
offered.  She  has  had  much  money  given  to  her,  to 
my  knowledge;  but  it  is  as  dust  to  her.  She  is  like 
the  clever  fellow  in  the  story,  who,  having  earned 
much  money  by  his  ingenuity,  scrambled  it  among 
the  crowd;  and  in  the  end,  when  it  was  finished, 
sighed,  *  O  Allah,  would  that  I  had  all  the  gold  on 


VEILED  WOMEN  191 

earth  to  go  on  flinging  it  and  see  men  fight  like  dogs 
for  its  possession ! '  " 

Fitnah,  though  she  scolded  the  old  woman,  had 
a  liking  for  her  company  and  waggish  talk.  And 
Umm  ed-Dahak,  being  very  diplomatic,  paid  her 
court.  Indeed,  she  flattered  all  the  ladies  of  the 
house  with  the  assurance  that  she  wished  to  be  the 
spokesman  of  their  will  with  Barakah,  and  went  to 
them  for  orders  every  day. 

The  only  person  whom  she  feared  was  Yusuf  Bey, 
though  she  had  known  him  from  a  child.  At  the 
first  hint  of  his  approach  she  fled  the  house.  In  vain 
did  Barakah  assure  her  he  had  no  objection  to  her 
presence  —  nay,  had  said  more  than  once  that  he 
would  like  to  see  her.  The  old  creature  smiled  and 
wriggled,  "  May  our  Lord  preserve  him ! "  but  fled 
no  less.  It  all  came  of  her  desire  for  surreptitious- 
ness.  She  would  not  have  felt  well  in  a  harim  of 
which  the  lord  approved  of  her. 

Contentment  grew  in  Barakah  from  day  to  day, 
and  as  the  months  wore  on  she  lost  the  wish  to  go 
abroad.  The  young  Muhammad  could  now  run 
about,  although  he  sometimes  tumbled  and  set  up 
a  howl.  He  had  been  taught  to  testify  to  his  re- 
ligion in  a  piping  voice  and  screamed  at  visitors, 
"  There  is  no  God  but  God.  Muhammad  is  the 
apostle  of  God  " ;  for  which  they  blessed  him.  He 
had  also  learnt  to  curse  the  infidels  ferociously.  A 
turbulent  and  wilful  child,  his  mother  and  old  Umm 
ed-Dahak  thought  him  perfect.  They  never  tired 


192  VEILED  WOMEN 

of  watching  him  torment  the  slave-girls.  "  Ma 
sh'Allah ! "  the  Mother  of  Laughter  would  croak 
rapturously.  "  A  blusterer,  by  the  Most  High !  A 
boy  with  all  the  signs  of  manhood  on  him !  In 
sh'Allah,  he  will  live  to  bully  grown-up  men ! " 

Occasionally  Barakah  paid  visits  as  in  duty  bound ; 
but  she  much  preferred  to  stay  indoors,  to  smoke  and 
dream  and  talk  with  Umm  ed-Dahak.  Her  hus- 
band, by  his  father's  influence,  obtained  a  post  of 
some  importance,  necessitating  their  removal  shortly 
to  a  proper  house,  with  a  selamlik  of  its  own  where 
he  could  see  his  courtiers.  Barakah  looked  forward 
to  the  change  with  high  indifference,  though  Umm 
ed-Dahak  strove  to  waken  her  enthusiasm,  crying: 

"  Thou  wilt  now  have  eunuchs  and  a  carriage  of 
thy  very  own.  In  sh'Allah,  Yusuf  Bey  will  go  on 
rising  till  thy  pomp  excels  the  dignity  of  mighty 
queens." 

Her  life  could  hardly  be  more  easy,  she  considered ; 
she  was  quite  content.  The  Pasha's  ladies  would  be 
grieved  to  lose  her,  and  she  would  feel  quite  lost  apart 
from  them.  She  thought  they  all  respected  and  ad- 
mired her. 

It  was  therefore  a  great  shock  to  her  when  one 
afternoon  Murjanah  Khanum  sent  for  her  and  read 
her  a  kind  lecture  on  her  way  of  life. 

"  My  pearl,"  she  said,  "  I  am  the  head  of  this 
harim  and  in  some  sort  responsible  for  all  its  mem- 
bers. I  do  not  see  a  slave  degenerating  without  en- 
deavouring to  stop  the  process  by  a  word  of  warning. 


VEILED  WOMEN  193 

How  much  greater  is  my  duty  towards  a  near  rela- 
tion !  My  flower,  thou  art  an  Englishwoman  and  we 
Turks  of  Europe  and  of  Asia  welcomed  thee  to  El 
Islam  as  our  own  sister.  We  looked  to  thee  for 
force  of  character,  for  the  light  of  education,  for  re- 
finement. What  has  happened,  on  the  contrary? 
Thou  shunnest  us  for  boon  companions,  persons  of 
the  country,  who,  however  estimable,  are  inferior. 
Aminah  Khanum  yesterday  complained  that  thou  art 
growing  a  fellahah  both  in  speech  and  conduct.  I 
do  not  hold  with  her,  I  only  tell  thee  what  she  said  — 
a  thing  I  cannot  bear  to  hear  of  my  dear  daughter. 
My  child,  I  speak  in  tenderness.  Give  thought  to 
higher  things  —  our  holy  Faith,  the  dignity  of  life 
—  and  spend  not  all  thy  time  in  mere  frivolity. 
Keep  that  old  woman  in  her  place;  I  say  not  shun 
her,  since  she  is  amusing.  Frequent  good  houses, 
study  holy  books.  To  spend  one's  whole  life  in  the 
hot  room  of  the  bath  is  not  existence." 

Barakah  was  deeply  hurt.  To  have  her  harmless 
pleasures  so  severely  criticised  was  as  cruel  as  to 
see  a  flower  destroyed  by  hail.  She  could  not  take 
the  lofty  standpoint  of  the  Turkish  lady.  Had  she 
done  so,  viewing  life  in  all  its  horror,  she  would  have 
gone  mad.  How  could  she  bear  to  look  upon  her- 
self, the  renegade?  She  was  now  glad  that  she  was 
soon  to  leave  that  hateful  house. 

When  she  told  Umm  ed-Dahak  of  her  grief,  ex- 
pecting sympathy,  the  latter  smiled  and  said: 

"  The  right  is  with  her.     We  must  not  neglect  the 


194  VEILED  WOMEN 

things  divine.  I  will  myself  instruct  thee  in  them, 
having  some  small  learning.  In  sh' Allah,  I  will 
teach  thee  to  endure  those  thoughts  which  now  ap- 
pal thee." 

Instruction  of  that  kind  was  needed  two  days  later, 
when  Barakah  was  driven  to  her  new  abode.  As  she 
alighted  from  her  carriage  at  the  door,  some  men  in 
waiting  cut  the  throat  of  a  live  buffalo  by  way  of 
compliment.  Blood  spurted  in  her  path  across  the 
threshold. 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

"  BLOOD,"  explained  Umm  ed-Dahak,  "  is  but  the 
juice  of  living  creatures.  Had  they  crushed  a  fruit 
before  thee,  would  thy  Grace  have  shrunk  or  fainted? 
Those  servants  sacrificed  a  thing  of  value  in  thy 
name  and  scattered  blood  upon  the  threshold  to 
bring  thee  good  luck.  The  flesh  of  the  victim  was 
distributed  among  the  needy,  as  an  almsdeed  to  the 
credit  of  the  house  of  Yusuf  Bey.  There  are  those 
among  the  learned  who  declare  such  practices  to  be 
against  religion.  Allah  knows !  Blood  is  the  life 
of  creatures,  and  a  precious  offering;  and  our  tradi- 
tions say  that  it  is  wise  to  shed  it  upon  great  occa- 
sions. Do  but  apply  thy  mind,  and  thou  shalt  learn 
to  view  such  sacrifices  with  a  sort  of  pleasure.  It  is 
true,  by  Allah!  There  is  a  thrill  peculiar  to  the 
sight  of  blood." 

To  this  and  many  kindred  exhortations  Barakah 
replied  with  shudders.  She  was  downright  ill.  At 
last,  perceiving  her  repugnance  to  be  quite  invinci- 
ble, the  old  woman  resigned  that  branch  of  her  in- 
struction to  the  Most  High,  and  once  more  proffered 
only  what  she  knew  would  please  her.  Observing, 
also,  her  disgust  at  the  sight  of  blind,  diseased,  or 
crippled  persons,  numbers  of  whom  frequented  the 

195 


196  VEILED  WOMEN 

harim  in  quest  of  alms,  she  prevented  such  from  en- 
tering her  presence. 

To  gain  some  credit  with  Murjanah  Khanum, 
Umm  ed-Dahak  went  and  told  her,  "  My  sweet  lady 
is  too  frail.  The  weakness  of  the  infidels  still  clings 
to  her.  She  cannot  put  her  trust  in  God  as  we  do, 
but  is  harassed  by  the  thought  of  pain  and  illness.  I 
have  tried  in  vain  to  win  her  to  a  better  mind." 

"  Leave  that  to  Allah ! "  was  the  saint's  reply. 
"  All  that  I  ask  of  her  is  to  frequent  her  equals, 
and  not  seclude  herself  in  low  frivolity." 

"  To  hear  is  to  obey,"  bowed  Umm  ed-Dahak. 

She  forthwith  set  to  work  to  school  her  mistress  in 
all  the  courtesies  expected  of  a  noble  lady.  She 
coached  her  for  her  visits,  teaching  her  the  names 
of  all  the  male  relations,  after  whom  it  was  the  cus- 
tom to  inquire  although  she  could  not  know  them, 
together  with  the  private  history  of  each  lady  of  the 
house. 

With  such  a  commentator  at  her  elbow,  Barakah 
found  amusement  in  her  social  duties.  Aminah 
Khanum  was  as  kind  to  her  as  ever,  but  made  no 
secret  of  her  disapproval  of  the  life  she  led. 

"  I  know,"  she  said,  "  that  thou  must  feel  be- 
wildered sometimes.  Our  life  here  is  so  different 
from  that  of  Europe.  It  is  natural  for  one  who  has 
left  much  behind  to  seek  forgetfulness  in  little  pleas- 
ures. But  why  with  vulgar  natives  of  the  country? 
Why  not  with  us,  who  are  more  civilised  and  have  a 
nobler  view  of  El  Islam?  Thou  art  not  the  only 


VEILED  WOMEN  197 

European  to  be  found  among  us.  I  have  asked  some 
others  here  to  meet  thee,  and  rid  thee  of  the  sense  of 
loneliness,  which  must  be  dreadful." 

She  had  in  truth  collected  half  a  dozen  other 
European  women  who  had  married  Muslims  and  as- 
sumed the  veil.  But  Barakah,  instead  of  being 
pleased  to  meet  them,  seemed  annoyed.  They  came 
from  Italy  and  Southern  Austria.  To  be  ranked 
with  them  aroused  her  English  pride.  When 
Aminah  Khanum  asked  why  she  disdained  them,  she 
replied  that  they  were  women  of  the  lowest  class  and 
doubtful  character. 

"  It  is  unlawful  to  say  that,"  the  princess  scolded. 
"  Such  scorn  is  not  permitted  here  among  us.  A 
woman  is  invested  with  her  husband's  honour.  It  is 
a  sin  to  cast  up  what  she  did  before  her  marriage. 
Thy  boast  is  simply  thou  wast  better  guarded. 
Praise  God  for  that,  but  do  not  scorn  those  others !  " 

Barakah  loved  them  none  the  more  for  this  re- 
buke. 

In  her  new  dwelling  she  had  three  reception-rooms. 
The  gilt  salon  was  kept  for  very  ceremonious  visitors. 
Her  intimates  were  welcomed  in  a  large  apartment 
with  cushioned  dais  and  divans  round  the  wall,  where 
she  herself  was  wont  to  sit  with  Umm  ed-Dahak, 
though  sometimes  they  would  camp  upon  the  house- 
top under  sunshades. 

All  kinds  of  suitors  came  to  the  selamlik  to  see 
Yusuf ;  and  most  of  these  brought  presents,  some  of 
which  were  left  at  the  haramlik  entrance  to  bespeak 


198  VEILED  WOMEN 

t 

the  intercession  of  the  lady.  Ghandur  was  made  the 
steward  of  the  house;  he  and  his  wife,  who  still  at- 
tended on  Muhammad,  inhabiting  a  room  close  by. 
Barakah  was  glad  to  hear  his  voice  again.  As  a 
relative  by  milk,  he  was  allowed  sometimes  to  kiss 
her  hand  and  raise  his  chant  of  honour  in  her  pres- 
ence. 

The  winter  following  her  change  of  residence  Bar- 
akah was  once  more  brought  to  bed.  The  whole 
household  had  been  praying  for  another  boy:  Mu- 
hammad had  been  taught  to  lisp,  "  A  boy,  in 
sh'Allah ! "  every  time  he  saw  his  mother.  Umm 
ed-Dahak  had  desired  her  mistress  might  produce 
boys  only,  because,  she  said,  some  of  the  brood  were 
sure  to  die,  and  were  all  boys  there  was  less  likelihood 
of  being  left  with  girls  alone,  like  Leylah  Khanum. 
But  a  girl  it  proved  to  be.  Muhammad  shook  his 
little  fist  at  the  intruder,  shouting,  "  Daughter  of  a 
dog,  who  bade  thee  enter?  "  There  was  little  joy 
at  her  reception  in  the  world,  and  that  little  raised 
to  cheer  the  mother's  spirits. 

"  It  is  no  matter,"  chuckled  Umm  ed-Dahak, 
whose  optimism  triumphed  over  every  obstacle.  "  A 
girl  comes  not  amiss ;  she  has  her  uses.  Since  some 
are  bound  to  die  in  early  childhood,  it  is  as  well  in 
every  family  to  have  a  few  who  can  be  spared.  And 
Yusuf  Bey  will  thank  thee  for  this  gift.  The  fath- 
ers always  like  to  have  a  girl  or  two." 

"  Why  should  some  die  ?  In  sh'Allah,  both  of 
mine  will  be  preserved ! "  wailed  Barakah. 


VEILED  WOMEN  199 

"  In  sh' Allah !  Yet  if  all  the  children  born  were 
to  survive,  there  soon  would  not  be  room  to  move  in 
our  great  houses.  For  example,  take  the  palace  of 
our  lord  the  Pasha,  thy  good  father.  Let  me  see !  " 
She  sat  in  thought  and  counted  on  her  fingers: 
"  Murjanah  Khanum  bore  him  twenty  at  the  least  — 
all  dead ;  Fitnah  Khanum  more  than  that  —  say 
thirty  —  of  whom  six  alive.  The  mother  of  Ali  — 
she  that  was  a  slave  —  ten  at  the  least,  three  living. 
Then  there  was  another  concubine  .  .  ." 

"  Stop,  stop !  It  is  not  true !  It  cannot  be," 
cried  Barakah,  with  a  hysteric  laugh. 

But  Umm  ed-Dahak  answered,  "  True,  wallahi. 
What  dismays  thee?  A  woman's  task  is  to  produce. 
We  leave  the  rest  to  Allah." 

And  to  console  her  hearer  she  went  on  to  tell  of 
broods  of  thirty,  even  forty,  reared  successfully; 
when  Barakah's  dismay  was  turned  to  laughter. 

In  her  moments  of  depression  she  was  haunted  by 
two  terrors  on  her  son's  account.  One  was  oph- 
thalmia, a  disease  so  prevalent  in  Egypt  that  half 
the  population  was  composed  of  blind  and  one-eyed 
persons.  The  other  was  the  plague,  of  which  the 
women  told  grim  stories  with  a  strange  complacency. 
Many  of  her  friends  had  been  through  epidemics  of 
the  pestilence  and,  by  their  own  report,  had  known 
no  panic.  It  was  a  swift  and  cruel  illness,  by  which 
they  had  lost  dear  ones  in  despite  of  careful  nursing ; 
it  was  from  Allah;  no  one's  thinking  could  avert  or 
cure  it.  The  horror  the  mere  thought  of  it  inspired 


200  VEILED  WOMEN 

in  Barakah,  her  futile  worry,  filled  them  with  a  placid 
wonder. 

She  had  made  up  her  mind  that,  if  the  plague 
drew  near,  she  would  carry  off  her  boy  to  Europe, 
having  no  doubt  but  she  could  win  consent  from 
Yusuf.  But  she  said  nothing  of  this  resolution  to 
the  women,  knowing  they  would  deem  it  godless.  As 
a  preventative  against  ophthalmia,  she  bathed  her 
son's  eyes  with  cold  water  twice  a  day,  and  gave  or- 
ders for  the  flies  that  settled  on  them  to  be  brushed 
away  —  a  thing  the  slaves  would  not  have  thought 
of  doing  on  their  own  initiative. 

The  plague  did  not  come  near  her;  and  Muham- 
mad's eyes  continued  bright  and  liquid  under  long 
black  lashes.  An  enemy,  unfeared  as  unexpected, 
struck  her  joy. 

About  the  period  when  he  was  being  weaned,  Mu- 
hammad had  a  serious  illness.  An  Armenian  doctor 
was  called  on,  who  said,  "  It  is  the  fever."  At  that 
the  women  wailed  and  prayed  to  Allah.  The  foe  was 
too  well  known,  the  scourge  of  children.  There  was 
no  need  to  tell  them  what  to  do. 

"  It  carries  off  a  host  of  infants  every  year,"  said 
Umm  ed-Dahak.  "  But  be  not  downcast,  O  be- 
loved. God  is  great !  Many  survive,  and  those  who 
do  recover  are  free  from  its  malignancy  for  ever- 
more." 

The  malady  was  typhoid  fever,  or  so  like  it  that 
Barakah  could  not  detect  the  slightest  difference. 
She  had  been  often  told  that  it  did  not  attack  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  201 

natives  of  the  land,  but  only  Europeans,  who  were 
thought  more  delicate.  Here,  then,  was  the  reason. 
The  natives  who  grew  up  were  all  inoculated,  having 
been  through  the  disease  in  infancy. 

Muhammad  lived,  for  which  his  mother  gave  wild 
thanks  to  Allah,  and  performed  a  hundred  alms- 
deeds  she  had  vowed  in  her  suspense.  But  a  year 
later  her  small  daughter  died  of  the  same  scourge, 
and  in  the  after  years  she  lost  five  children  by  it. 


CHAPTER    XXV 

HER  boy  was  her  delight  in  life.  No  other  woman 
was  allowed  to  scold  him.  When  Yusuf  slapped  him 
in  the  cause  of  order,  which  happened  often,  for  the 
child  was  naughty,  she  made  it  up  to  him  with  sugar- 
plums and  fond  caresses.  In  his  father's  absence 
Muhammad  was  the  lord  of  the  harim;  all  vied  to 
please  him.  His  foster-mother  and  the  servants  told 
him  fairy  stories  in  which  good  children  killed  all 
kinds  of  monsters.  One,  which  he  never  tired  of 
hearing,  ended  thus: 

"  Then  little  Hafiz  took  a  sword  and  reaped  the 
head  of  the  atrocious  ghoul;  and  beat  to  death  the 
hag  who  had  ill-used  him,  and  with  the  help  of  all 
the  neighbours,  who  acclaimed  his  goodness,  burnt 
all  his  wicked  little  cousins  in  a  cheerful  fire." 

He  knew  that  tale  by  heart  and  went  about  repeat- 
ing it.  He  had  a  lot  of  toys,  but  none  which  gave 
him  so  much  pleasure  as  a  little  cane.  With  this  he 
beat  the  slave-girls,  uttering  terrific  curses.  The 
victims,  for  his  satisfaction,  made  believe  to  cry,  and 
assured  him  they  were  seriously  injured.  His 
mother  and  old  Umm  ed-Dahak  praised  his  manly 
spirit. 

Fitnah  Khanum  sometimes  shook  her  head  and 
202 


VEILED  WOMEN  203 

spoke  of  necessary  discipline.  Barakah  only  smiled ; 
as  she  did  also,  when  young  Na'imah,  puffed  up  with 
pride  of  her  new  motherhood,  exclaimed :  "  By  Allah, 
I  will  bring  up  my  son  otherwise."  But  when  the 
prim  and  dainty  Turkish  ladies  looked  fastidious, 
glancing  around  her  room  where  toys  lay  scattered, 
she  felt  angry.  The  salon  of  those  ladies  were  main- 
tained in  spotless  cleanness ;  their  children,  though 
untidy  to  avert  ill-fortune,  were  as  courtly  as  small 
chamberlains  towards  their  elders. 

"  It  is  strange !  Thou  art  an  Englishwoman,  yet 
thou  likest  these  things !  "  Aminah  Khanum  exclaimed 
once,  remarking  her  affection  for  a  certain  sweet- 
stuff,  common  in  the  markets  but  unknown  in  decent 
houses  —  a  taste  she  had  acquired  through  Umm  ed- 
Dahak.  "  Thou  art  too  much  with  the  women  of 
the  country.  Be  more  discerning  in  the  choice  of 
friends." 

But  Barakah  was  happy  as  she  was;  or,  if  not  al- 
together happy,  chose  to  seem  so  from  a  blend  of 
pride  and  indolence.  Against  the  condescension  of 
the  Turkish  ladies  she  armed  her  dignity  with  the 
reflection  that  she  was  born  above  all  Eastern  women. 
Yet  she  dared  not  let  remembrance  dwell  on  Eng- 
land for  fear  of  terrible  misgivings  she  had  sworn 
to  banish.  Her  boy,  she  thought,  should  be  her  vin- 
dication. He  was  visibly  superior  to  other  children 
of  the  land. 

To  him,  clasped  tightly  to  her  breast,  she  poured 
out  all  her  secret  and  tormenting  thoughts. 


204*  VEILED  WOMEN 

The  English  had  ill-treated  her  most  shamefully. 
Her  son  must  hate  the  English  for  her  sake.  And 
yet  he  must  remember  he  was  half  an  Englishman, 
a  being  of  a  different  order  from  the  children  round 
him.  And  when  he  prayed  he  must  ask  Allah  to  in- 
crease his  strength  and  wisdom,  so  that  he  might 
prove  a  match  for  any  Englishman  he  might  en- 
counter in  the  course  of  life.  The  child,  with  bright 
eyes,  drank  in  all  she  said,  but  God  alone  knew  what 
his  mind  could  make  of  it;  for  Barakah's  opinions 
were  a  tangle  as  of  angry  serpents,  their  utterance 
as  incoherent  as  the  cries  of  battle.  She  heard  him 
once  hurl  "  Englishwoman ! "  at  a  slave  who  had  en- 
raged him.  The  girl  laughed  back :  "  Thy  mother 
is  an  Englishwoman,"  when  he  replied :  "  A  noble 
race  and  warlike  —  the  Muslimin  among  them,  like 
my  mother.  But  thou  art  a  low  Christian  of  that 
race,  a  filthy  harlot !  " 

Outside  her  own  house  and  her  husband's  family 
Barakah's  chief  friends  were  Gulbeyzah  and  Bedr- 
ul-Budur.  With  them  she  laid  aside  the  pride  which 
had  become  her  usual  armour  in  society.  Yet  Gul- 
beyzah said  one  day  when  Barakah  was  calling  on 
her :  "  How  thou  art  changed !  Rememberest  thou 
the  days  when  we  talked  French  together?  Then 
thou  wast  as  timid  and  demure  as  mice  are;  and  so 
good  and  wise!  Now  thou  art  a  high  and  mighty 
Arab  lady.  I  am  half  afraid !  " 

"  Thou  too  art  greatly  changed,  O  wicked  joker!  " 
cried  Barakah,  impounding  the  Circassian's  hand. 


VEILED  WOMEN  205 

"  Rememberest  thou  the  little  window  in  the  pas- 
sage ?  " 

"  Hush !  "  said  Gulbeyzah,  with  uplifted  finger. 
"  By  Allah,  thou  art  owner  of  a  shameless  memory. 
But  come  with,  me !  " 

She  led  her  friend  away  from  the  reception-room, 
upstairs,  and  showed  her  such  another  little  window 
as  that  they  both  remembered,  looking  out  on  dis- 
tant roofs.  "  I  come  and  dream  here  sometimes  as 
of  old  —  I,  the  mother  of  two  children !  "  sighed  Gul- 
beyzah. "  There  is  a  roof  well  fitted  for  a  hopeless 
lover,  but  no  one  ever  comes.  Now  thou  knowest 
that  I  have  not  changed  my  foolish  nature,  although 
in  motherhood  I  have  acquired  a  soul." 

That  the  Turkish  ladies  rather  wondered  at  her 
preference  for  Gulbeyzah  and  Bedr-ul-Budur,  two 
former  slaves,  made  Barakah  the  more  enamoured 
of  their  friendship.  Muhammad  was  allowed  to 
visit  them,  and  play  games  with  their  children,  a 
transcendent  favour;  and  it  was  with  a  horror  as 
of  treason  and  of  base  ingratitude  that  she  heard 
them,  too,  declare  that  he  was  sadly  spoilt. 

It  was  at  the  wedding-feast  which  Tahir,  the  great 
singer,  gave  his  daughter.  The  ladies  of  the  grand 
harims  flocked  thither  eagerly,  for  it  was  known  that 
Tahir  would  perform.  The  two  Circassians  found 
out  Barakah  amid  the  throng,  and  went  and  sat  with 
her  in  a  deserted  corner.  Muhammad  had  that  day 
been  playing  with  the  children  of  Gulbeyzah's  house. 

"  He  is  a  little  tyrant ! "  said  his  hostess,  laugh- 


206  VEILED  WOMEN 

ing.  "  A  young  savage.  He  attacked  my  little  girl 
as  if  to  kill  her,  because  she  tried  to  get  back  her 
own  doll.  I  had  to  shake  him.  I  told  him  that  his 
mother  would  be  very  angry  at  his  conduct.  He 
cursed  my  religion  and  then  spat  at  me.  By  our 
lady  Zeynab,  thou  shouldst  beat  him  sometimes,  O 
my  soul!  " 

"  His  spirit  is  too  high  and  needs  restraining. 
Every  one  says  so,"  said  Bedr-ul-Budur. 

"  You  must  have  thwarted  him.  He  is  not  used 
to  it.  He  has  the  noblest,  the  most  generous  na- 
ture," answered  Barakah. 

"  By  Allah,  it  is  difficult  not  to  thwart  a  boy  who 
claims  the  eyes  from  out  one's  face  as  his  to  play 
with !  He  must  be  denied,  and  when  denied  he  grows 
infuriated,"  said  Gulbeyzah  mildly. 

Barakah  was  on  the  point  of  making  a  fierce  an- 
swer, when  the  glorious  voice  of  Tahir  rose,  com- 
pelling silence.  She  had  heard  a  hundred  singers, 
male  and  female,  since  she  came  to  Cairo ;  but  Tahir's 
voice  alone  had  power  to  move  her.  The  others 
mouthed  and  shrieked  to  individual  passions;  but 
Tahir  took  the  soul  and  soared  with  it,  producing 
exaltation  and  sense  of  peace.  He  sang  from  the 
pure  heart  of  El  Islam,  and  shed  its  fervent  calm  on 
all  who  heard  him.  When  the  song  died  she  had 
forgotten  anger. 

That  wedding-feast  became  for  ever  memorable 
by  reason  of  a  shocking  tragedy  at  its  conclusion. 
Barakah  and  her  friends  were  led  by  Umm  ed- 


VEILED  WOMEN  S07 

Dahak,  who  was  a  relative  of  Tahir's  wife,  to  view 
the  nuptial  chamber.  It  was  full  of  flowering  plants ; 
the  bed,  with  silken  coverings,  was  quite  embowered. 
In  addition  to  the  odour  of  so  many  blossoms  the 
air  was  thick  with  perfumes  burnt  and  sprinkled. 
The  room,  they  were  informed,  had  been  arranged, 
the  flowers  provided,  by  rich  admirers  of  the  singer's 
talent. 

"By  Allah,  pretty!  But  I  should  not  like  to 
sleep  there ! "  had  been  Gulbeyzah's  comment,  little 
guessing  what  would  happen.  For  next  morning  it 
was  known  to  high  and  low,  through  all  the  city,  that 
the  bridegroom  and  the  bride  had  died  of  suffoca- 
tion. When  people  went  to  rouse  them  in  the  morn- 
ing they  found  corpses.  The  news  was  brought  to 
Barakah  by  Umm  ed-Dahak,  who  had  herself  been 
present  at  the  sad  discovery.  She  told  the  story 
with  an  artist's  relish. 

"What  did  Tahir  do?  The  poor  demented 
father?  What  did  he?  He  took  his  lute  and  struck 
the  chords  and  sang  a  song  more  mournful  than  was 
ever  heard  on  earth  till  now.  Many  present  had  to 
leave  the  room  in  grievous  pains.  And  then,  with 
the  last  note  —  C-r-r-a-c-k !  —  he  broke  the  lute,  and 
swore  the  binding  oath  that  he  would  never  sing 
again.  In  sh' Allah  he  will  change  his  mind,"  said 
Umm  ed-Dahak,  in  her  ordinary  tone.  "  The  world 
would  lack  a  soul  without  his  singing.  His  oath  has 
spread  despair  through  all  the  town." 

For    months    the    news    of    Tahir    was    demanded 


208  VEILED  WOMEN 

eagerly.  After  his  daughter's  death  he  went  to 
Tantah  for  a  while.  Returning  to  the  capital,  pre- 
pared to  keep  his  vow,  he  took  a  shop  and  furnished 
it  with  goods,  intending  to  become  a  merchant.  He 
thought  to  work  out  bargains  over  cups  of  coffee,  by 
way  of  pastime  only,  for  he  was  a  wealthy  man.  But 
the  people,  his  admirers,  would  not  have  it.  They 
thronged  his  shop  directly  it  was  opened,  and  bought 
up  all  his  goods  in  a  few  hours,  paying  the  price  first 
asked  without  a  protest.  He  stocked  his  shop  again ; 
the  same  thing  happened,  till,  finding  himself  de- 
barred from  occupation,  he  cursed  the  day  when  he 
was  born;  and  in  the  end  repaired  to  the  Grand 
Cadi,  and  asked  for  liberation  from  his  vow.  The 
reverend  judge  released  him  with  a  grin  and  "  Praise 
to  Allah !  "  It  was  what  his  Honour  and  the  whole 
of  Egypt  had  been  wanting.  Enormous  crowds  as- 
sembled to  hear  Tahir  call  to  noonday  prayer  at 
the  great  mosque  El  Azhar  —  the  first  occasion  of 
his  singing  since  his  daughter's  death. 

"  The  praise  to  Allah,  we  possess  him  once  again," 
said  Umm  ed-Dahak,  when  reporting  his  defeat. 
"  It  has  cost  us  trouble  to  regain  him,  Allah  knows. 
He  did  wrong  to  swear  that  oath;  which  was  as 
impious  as  swearing  to  cut  off  his  hand  or  foot,  the 
work  of  God;  and  so  the  Cadi  told  him  in  his  judg- 
ment yesterday.  He  brought  the  grief  upon  him- 
self by  doting  on  the  girl  above  her  merits,  calling 
her  his  soul  of  music,  neglecting  the  son  who  is  still 
with  him  —  a  fine  lad.  By  the  Prophet,  it  was  court- 


VEILED  WOMEN  209 

ing  sorrow  to  make  all  that  fuss  about  a  daughter. 

Now  had  it  been  his  son,  his  source  of  honour " 

Barakah  interrupted  with  a  prayer  to  Allah  to 
avert  the  omen  of  her  stabbing  fear.  She  clutched 
Muhammad  to  her  bosom;  but  he,  intent  on  play- 
things, kicked  and  struggled,  even  swore  at  her. 
And  at  that  moment  Fitnah  Khanum  was  announced. 


CHAPTER    XXVI 

WHEN  Fitnah  Khanum  entered,  the  small  boy  was 
stamping  about  on  the  dais,  hurling  frightful  impre- 
cations at  his  mother,  who  was  on  her  knees  endeav- 
ouring to  soothe  him.  His  fez  was  off,  and  he  had 
trampled  on  it  in  his  rage;  he  tore  his  clothing. 
Umm  ed-Dahak,  crouching  by  the  wall  with  her 
nargileh,  made  clucking  noises  to  attract  the  child; 
while  the  wife  of  Ghandtir,  standing,  smiled,  upon  the 
scene,  awaiting  the  command  to  bear  him  off.  The 
floor  was  littered  with  his  broken  playthings.  The 
light  that  filtered  in  through  the  rich  lattice  was  blue 
with  all  the  dust  that  he  had  raised. 

"  Look,  here  comes  thy  grandmother,  a  great  lady. 
Hush,  O  Muhammad!  Be  a  good  boy.  I  will  give 
thee  such  nice  sweeties." 

"  Mayest  thou  be  ravished  and  then  cut  in 
pieces ! "  shrieked  Muhammed,  knuckling  both  his 
eyes.  Therewith  he  spurned  his  mother  with  his  foot. 

The  visitor  remained  a  moment  petrified.  It  was 
the  first  time  she  had  seen  her  grandson  at  his  worst. 
Then,  boxing  both  ears  of  the  wife  of  Ghandur,  who 
stood  grinning  near  her,  she  rushed  upon  the  wicked 
boy,  and  slapped  him  hard,  regardless  of  his  kicks 
and  blows,  his  horrid  language. 

210 


VEILED  WOMEN 

"Learn  to  respect  thy  mother,  little  malefactor," 
she  admonished  him,  enforcing  every  word  with  pun- 
ishment. "  Thou  art  no  better  than  a  heathen,  than 
a  wild  beast.  Thou  wilt  merit  fire  hereafter !  " 

But  Barakah  sprang  on  her  like  a  tigress.  "  He 
is  my  child !  Let  him  alone !  "  she  panted. 

"  He  is  thy  child,  truly,  but  a  Muslim  first.  To 
curse  and  kick  his  mother  is  a  dreadful  crime." 

"  Let  him  alone,  I  say !  By  Allah,  no  one  shall 
chastise  my  son  but  me,  his  mother !  " 

The  ladies,  both  alike  indignant,  screamed  against 
each  other;  Umm  ed-Dahak,  ever  ready  to  applaud 
a  truth,  however  adverse,  begged  her  mistress  to  hear 
wisdom  from  the  mouth  of  Fitnah  Khanum;  the  wife 
of  Ghandur  was  in  tears,  and  all  the  slave-girls,  as- 
sembling in  the  hope  to  see  a  fight,  shrieked  prayers 
to  Allah  and  implored  the  ladies  to  be  calm.  Mu- 
hammad, in  disgust  at  being  quite  forgotten,  set  up 
a  dismal  howl,  which  no  one  heeded. 

At  length,  perceiving  the  futility  of  further  argu- 
ment, the  visitor  retired,  by  no  means  vanquished. 

"  The  child  must  be  removed  if  thou  wilt  not  con- 
trol him,"  were  her  parting  words,  unheard  of  any 
one  amid  the  din. 

In  the  greatest  agitation  and  distress  of  mind, 
Fitnah  Khanum  went  back  to  her  carriage  and  was 
driven  home.  She  sought  immediate  audience  of 
Murjanah  Khanum.  She  had  a  warm  affection  for 
the  wife  of  Yusuf,  and  something  like  a  passion  for 
her  little  grandson.  The  need  to  take  stern  meas- 


VEILED  WOMEN 

ures  with  them  filled  her  eyes  with  tears ;  but  her  re- 
ligion nerved  her  to  perform  a  duty.  A  scene  like 
that  she  had  just  witnessed  must  never  be  allowed  to 
be  repeated  in  a  Muslim  house. 

Murjanah's  look  grew  worried  as  she  learned  the 
story. 

"  I  have  spoken  to  the  dear  one  once,  and  fain 
would  never  speak  to  her  again  in  chiding  tones," 
she  murmured.  "  I  pity  her  extremely,  for  she  is 
alone  among  us  and,  I  think,  afraid.  Consider 
what  might  have  become  of  one  of  us  if  set  down 
all  alone  amid  the  life  of  Europe!  But  it  devolves 
on  us  to  intervene  since  Yusuf,  as  thou  sayest,  will 
not  act  against  her." 

As  a  result  of  Fitnah's  allegations,  Murjanah 
Khanum  called  a  council  of  the  matrons  of  the  fam- 
ily, including  in  the  number  her  ex-slave,  Gulbeyzah, 
who,  as  Barakah's  best  friend,  might  plead  her  cause. 
But  Gulbeyzah,  when  the  case  was  laid  before  her, 
shrugged  and  cried: 

"  By  Allah,  it  is  true,  she  will  destroy  the  child ! 
How  often  have  I  tried  to  warn  her!  But  she  is 
haughty  in  her  weakness,  and  impatient  of  advice. 
She  loves  the  fawning  voice  of  her  own  servants. 
She  has  greatly  changed.  Yusuf  Bey,  however,  is 
for  discipline.  She  has  more  than  once  complained 
to  me  of  his  severity  towards  the  boy." 

"  What  good  is  that  when  she  consoles  Muham- 
mad afterwards,  and  talks  about  his  cruel  father.  I 
have  heard  her,"  put  in  Na'imah,  who  was  a  mem- 


VEILED  WOMEN  213 

ber  of  the  conclave,  though  a  child  in  years.  She 
spoke  with  great  excitement.  All  the  ladies  smiled. 
Murjanah  Khanum  touched  her  cheek  affectionately, 
and  called  her  the  most  excellent  of  little  mothers. 
Murjanah  added: 

"  The  whole  trouble,  as  I  see  it,  is  her  want  of 
faith.  She  has  lost  the  comfort  of  her  own  religion, 
without  acquiring  ours  in  more  than  name.  Is  such 
a  woman,  full  of  cowardice  and  self-indulgence,  fit  to 
rear  a  Muslim?  Unless  she  change  her  whole  be- 
haviour, which  appears  unlikely,  for  her  strength  is 
gone,  will  it  be  wise  to  leave  the  child  with  her?  " 

"  No !  "  came  from  all  sides. 

"  Let  his  grandmother  take  charge  of  him,"  said 
Leylah  Khanum. 

"  God  forbid !  "  cried  Fitnah,  "  lest  his  mother 
hate  me.  Let  him  be  given  to  the  wisest,  most  be- 
nign of  women,  to  our  dear  Murjanah." 

This  motion  won  applause  from  all  the  ladies  on 
the  divan.  They  smiled  to  one  another  with  rouged 
lips  and  kohled  eyes.  The  room  was  beautifully  cool 
and  sweet,  the  cigarettes  were  of  the  best,  the  cof- 
fee excellent,  and  every  one  enjoyed  the  sense  of  do- 
ing serious  business. 

Murjanah  showed  no  fear  of  the  responsibility. 
Assured  of  Fitnah  Khanum's  gracious  help,  she  said 
the  task  of  civilising  the  small  boy  would  not  dis- 
please her;  but  first  the  menfolk  had  to  be  consulted, 
and  due  warning  must  be  given  to  the  luckless 
mother.  The  ladies  Fitnah,  Leylah,  and  Murjanah 


VEILED  WOMEN 

were  deputed  to  convey  the  verdict  of  the  council 
to  the  Pasha  and  to  Yusuf  Bey,  who  were  invited 
to  Murjanah's  rooms  that  evening. 

Yusuf  displayed  some  irritation  when  he  heard  the 
charges. 

"  But  my  wife  is  a  Frank ! "  he  cried.  "  Allah 
knows  it  is  but  natural  her  ways  should  be  different 
from  ours.'* 

Murjanah  took  no  notice  of  the  interruption,  but 
proceeded  to  relate  the  scene  described  by  Fitnah. 
She  mentioned  also  facts  which  he  could  not  gain- 
say, as  that  Muhammad  never  kissed  his  father's 
hand,  that  he  sat  down  in  his  father's  presence  with- 
out asking  leave,  and  that  he  did  not  wait  upon  his 
parents  as  behooved  a  child.  Yusuf  was  silenced, 
though  he  looked  annoyed.  The  Pasha  wore  his 
blandest  diplomatic  visage. 

"  With  thy  permission,  O  my  lord,"  said  the  great 
lady,  "  we  have  thought  upon  this  matter  and  dis- 
cussed it  fully.  If  it  be  allowed  for  us  to  proffer  a 
suggestion,  it  is  that  thou,  who  didst  endow  the 
bride  of  Yusuf  and  stand  in  some  sort  for  her  peo- 
ple at  the  wedding,  shouldst  of  thy  gracious  favour 
go  and  reason  with  her." 

The  Pasha,  fingering  his  beads,  observed  that  God 
is  merciful. 

"  Of  thy  kindness  condescend  to  view  the  case," 
she  urged.  "  The  boy  is  brought  up  utterly  devoid 
of  reverence.  What  is  his  fate  when  he  goes  out  to 
faice  the  world  —  unmannerly,  rebellious,  a  mad  dog, 


VEILED  WOMEN  215 

a  savage,  detestable  alike  to  great  and  small.  Of 
what  use  will  he  be  to  El  Islam?  Oh,  God  forbid 
that  he  should  grow  like  that  —  a  scourge  to  his  two 
parents,  and  the  scorn  of  others.  It  is  to  save  him 
and  his  mother  from  the  consequences  of  her  folly 
that  we  beg  thee  of  thy  mercy  to  remonstrate  with 
her,  and  if  she  will  not  hearken,  to  confide  the  educa- 
tion of  the  child  to  us.  The  word  is  spoken.  May 
our  Lord  preserve  thee  ever !  " 

"  May  Allah  help  us  all ! "  replied  the  Pasha 
gently. 

When  he  and  Yusuf  had  departed  from  the  ladies 
and  were  returning  through  dim  corridors  to  the 
selamlik,  he  inquired: 

"What  sayest  thou?" 

"  They  much  exaggerate,"  said  Yusuf  warmly. 
"  I  keep  an  eye  upon  the  boy.  In  course  of  time 
I  shall  correct  his  conduct." 

"  Do  it  now !  " 

"  What  meanest  thou  ?  Why  dost  thou  smile,  my 
father?  " 

"  I  smile  because  I  have  observed  that  when  the 
women  take  that  tone  — *  of  thy  great  kindness  deign 
to  listen,'  and  the  rest,  there  is  no  safe  course  for 
man  but  to  obey.  The  boy  is  five  years  old  and  it 
is  time  he  learnt  behaviour.  It  is  thy  business,  O 
my  son;  remonstrate  with  her." 

"  Nay,  for  they  charged  thee  with  the  office." 

"  It  is  thine  of  right." 

"  Very  gladly   I  resign   it  to  thee.     Thy  words 


216  VEILED  WOMEN 

have  more  weight.  And  how  can  I  turn  round  upon 
her  suddenly?  She  will  think  me  mad." 

"  By  Allah,  I  implore  thee  to  perform  thy  duty." 

"  By  the  Prophet,  I  beseech,  adjure  thee  to  be- 
friend me  now,  as  thou  hast  done  from  childhood.  I 
will  tell  her  to  expect  a  visit  from  thee  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

"Well,  God  is  greatest!"  The  good  Pasha 
heaved  a  sigh,  proclaiming  his  acceptance  of  the  part 
allotted. 

Accordingly,  next  morning,  arrayed  in  his  official 
black  frock-coat  and  newest  fez,  he  waited  upon  Bar- 
akah,  who  received  him  with  delight,  evidently  un- 
suspecting the  real  purpose  of  his  visit.  He  thought 
that  Yusuf  might  at  least  have  warned  her.  How- 
ever, with  a  shrug,  he  opened  business  in  his  usual 
courtly  and  confiding  manner,  speaking  in  French, 
since  servants  are  born  eavesdroppers. 

"  Madame  my  daughter,"  he  began,  "  from  the 
moment  when  you  did  my  house  the  honour  of  es- 
pousing my  dear  son,  I  have  been  your  servant  and 
admirer;  that  is  known.  Yusuf  himself  has  not 
more  tender  veneration  for  your  many  virtues  and 
accomplishments,  so  rare  among  us."  He  went  on  to 
recite  the  panegyric  of  her  general  conduct  as  a  wife 
and  mother,  paid  tribute  to  her  beauty  and  her  piety, 
and  then  said,  "  But  there  is  one  small  point  on  which 
I  have  to  scold  you.  In  your  great  goodness,  your 
untiring  kindness,  you  forget  to  claim  the  service 
due  to  you.  Your  slaves,  as  I  have  heard,  grow 


VEILED  WOMEN  217 

fat  and  lazy,  and  though  devoted  to  you  —  as  what 
soul  would  not  be  ?  —  do  not  keep  your  house  so 
scrupulously  clean  and  nicely  ordered  as  the  dwell- 
ing-place of  such  a  treasure  ought  to  be.  I  beg  you 
to  make  hard  your  heart  from  time  to  time,  to  think 
a  little  less  for  others  and  more  often  for  yourself. 
Even  your  own  son  should  be  brought  up  to  rever- 
ence you,  as  one  to  whom  he  owes  incalculable  debts 
of  gratitude.  He  should  kiss  your  hand  whenever 
he  approaches,  and  bow  and  ask  your  blessing  when 
he  takes  his  leave.  It  is  our  custom  for  small  chil- 
dren and,  I  think,  a  good  one.  How  is  the  little  one 
this  morning?  Am  I  not  to  be  allowed  to  see  him 
for  one  moment?  " 

Barakah  clapped  her  hands  and,  when  a  slave  ap- 
peared, gave  order  for  Muhammad  to  be  brought. 
He  came  in  presently,  escorted  by  his  foster-mother, 
who  stood  and  watched  his  progress  to  the  dais  with 
loving  smiles.  He  was  in  docile  mood,  and  Barakah 
detained  him,  giving  the  wife  of  Ghandur  leave  to 
go. 

"What  fault  is  there  to  find  in  his  behaviour?" 
she  inquired  in  French,  with  arch  defiance  of  the 
Pasha. 

"  None  in  the  world,"  he  made  reply,  with  vast 
politeness,  "  except  that  he  has  not  kissed  hands, 
nor  waited  your  permission  to  sit  down  with  us." 

"  Absurd !  "  laughed  Barakah. 

"  Absurd,  in  verity,  like  many  of  our  customs. 
Only,  my  cherished  daughter,  he  is  one  of  us  and 


£18  VEILED  WOMEN 

must  observe  them.  If  you  refuse  to  teach  him  the 
behaviour  which  we  consider  fitting  for  young  chil- 
dren, I  announce  with  deep  regret  that  we  must  take 
him  from  you." 

Barakah  gasped.  She  looked  for  signs  of  jest- 
ing; but  the  Pasha's  visage,  though  urbane,  was 
serious. 

"  It  has  been  told  me,"  he  continued  very  gravely, 
"  that  this  boy,  when  angry,  kicks  and  curses  his 
own  mother.  That  is,  for  us  others,  a  most  dread- 
ful crime,  apart  from  the  regard  in  which  I  hold 
you  personally.  My  grandson  must  not  be  brought 
up  to  shame  our  house;  the  authority  of  the  family 
must  be  exerted  to  avert  dishonour.  In  fact,  dear 
madame,  if  you  will  not  punish  him,  he  must  be  given 
for  a  while  to  some  one  who  will  do  so." 

"  But  it  is  unheard  of !  "  cried  the  mother  wildly. 
"  How  can  you  think  of  such  abominable  cruelty  ? 
He  is  my  child.  My  right  to  him  exists  in 
nature." 

"  And  is  inalienable,"  said  the  Pasha,  with  a  splen- 
did bow.  "  No  one  else  can  ever  bear  him,  but  some 
one  else  will  have  to  educate  him,  since  madame  re- 
fuses." 

"  I  am  an  Englishwoman.  I  shall  complain  to  my 
Consul." 

"  Believe  me,  dear  madame,  he  will  not  listen. 
Your  son  is  a  Turkish  sub j  ect ;  we  inhabit  Egypt ; 
and  in  a  case  of  this  sort  we  allow  no  interference. 
The  English  are  a  race  distinguished  for  intelligence 


VEILED  WOMEN  219 

and  force  of  character,  I  beg  you  to  display  those 
qualities  on  this  occasion." 

He  left  her  in  hysterics,  clinging  fiercely  to  her 
boy. 


CHAPTER    XXVII 

No  sooner  was  the  Pasha  gone  than  Umm  ed-Dahak 
crept  back  softly  to  her  mistress  and  cooed  of  con- 
solation in  her  ear.  Muhammad,  who  had  started 
howling  out  of  sympathy,  she  told  to  go  and  play 
with  Ghandur's  son. 

"  By  Allah,  it  is  all  my  fault,  not  thine,"  she 
whispered.  "  I  ought  to  have  foreseen  this  grief  and 
warned  thee.  Vex  not  thy  soul  at  all!  It  is  no 
matter!  Praise  be  to  Allah,  we  can  change  our 
policy.  To-morrow  thou  wilt  beat  thy  son  a  little, 
and  all  the  world  will  praise  thy  management." 

But  the  mother's  tears  were  flowing  less  from 
sense  of  guilt  than  for  the  helplessness,  the  lack  of 
energy,  which  she  discovered  in  herself  at  such  a 
crisis.  The  call  to  make  an  effort  paralysed  her; 
she  hung  on  Umm  ed-Dahak  like  a  frightened  child, 
agreeing  with  loud  sobs  to  the  old  woman's  state- 
ment that  on  the  morrow  they  would  make  a  new 
beginning. 

That  afternoon  the  little  boy  had  been  invited  to 
Gulbeyzah's  house.  His  mother  being  too  unwell  to 
bear  him  company,  he  started  off  on  foot  in  the  cus- 
tody of  Ghandur.  Barakah  adjured  him  to  be  very 

220 


VEILED  WOMEN  221 

good  and  mind  his  manners,  on  which  he  kissed  her 
with  a  most  angelic  smile. 

"  See  how  obedient  and  how  good  he  is ! "  she 
wailed,  her  anguish  breaking  out  afresh  when  he  was 
gone.  "  How  can  they  say  he  is  not  well  brought 
up?" 

"Without  a  doubt  they  have  been  misinformed," 
cooed  Umm  ed-Dahak.  "  They  have  mistaken  some 
exceptional  disorder  for  his  general  conduct.  Ma 
sh' Allah!  With  but  a  touch  of  discipline,  a  very 
little  teaching  of  good  manners,  thou  wilt  make  him 
glorious,  a  pattern  to  all  other  children  of  this  age." 

But  Muhammad,  who  had  set  forth  as  an  angel, 
returned  a  little  devil,  in  a  sullen  rage.  He  would 
not  speak  a  word,  refused  all  nourishment,  and  sat 
aloof  with  frowning  brows  and  gnashing  teeth. 
Ghandur,  who  brought  him  home,  had  sent  in  word 
that  he  had  been  a  naughty  boy  and  needed  punish- 
ment. So  Ghandur  also  was  his  mother's  enemy. 

Muhammad  struck  at  all  the  women  who  came 
near  him.  He  swore  by  the  Most  High  to  ravish 
every  one  of  them,  to  tear  their  eyes  out  and  cut 
off  their  hands  and  feet.  The  servants  laughed  at 
his  ferocious  impotence,  which  made  things  worse. 
When  his  mother  came  and  knelt  beside  him,  he  at 
first  repelled  her;  but  after  half  an  hour's  incessant 
coaxing  she  elicited  his  cause  of  grief. 

He  had  been  pretending  in  his  play  to  kill 
Gulbeyzah's  little  girl  — "  not  really  hurting  her," 
he  blubbered,  "  though  she  shrieked  like  a  dying 


VEILED  WOMEN 

fowl " —  when  all  at  once,  without  the  slightest  pro- 
vocation, a  big  boy  assailed  him,  flung  him  down  and 
knelt  upon  him,  pinning  his  two  hands.  While  he 
was  in  that  position  the  ladies  of  the  harim  had  come 
in  and  reviled  him,  praising  his  cruel  persecutor  as  a 
hero.  They  had  then  conveyed  him,  kicking,  to 
Ghandiir,  who,  like  the  beast  he  was,  believed  their 
lies. 

"  It  is  no  matter,  O  beloved !  Dry  thy  tears ! 
Never  —  never  shalt  thou  visit  that  unfriendly  house 
again,"  his  mother  whispered. 

Muhammad  hiccuped  on  a  sob,  "  Wallahi !  "  and 
fell  again  to  gnashing  of  his  teeth  and  moaning. 

"  See !  "  murmured  Umm  ed-Dahak.  "  See  his 
dauntless  spirit!  By  Allah,  it  is  true,  he  must  be 
tamed  a  little." 

That  night  he  cried  himself  to  sleep,  and  in  the 
morning  was  snappish  and  morose,  with  furtive  eyes. 
About  the  fourth  hour  of  the  day  his  mother  missed 
him,  and  having  sought  through  all  the  house  in 
vain,  conceived  grave  fears.  She  sent  a  eunuch  to 
the  Pasha's  palace,  while  Ghandur  cried  the  tidings 
through  the  quarter.  Distraught  with  grief,  she  ran 
from  room  to  room  in  the  hottest  hours  of  the  day, 
always  expecting  to  find  Muhammad  hiding  some- 
where. At  last  she  sank  down  on  a  couch,  exhausted. 

The  third  hour  after  noon,  as  she  was  lying  thus, 
Gulbeyzah  and  her  durrahs  were  announced.  They 
entered  with  much  tragic  exclamation.  Then  the 
truth  was  known.  Muhammad  had  repaired  that 


VEILED  WOMEN  223 

morning  to  their  house  and  joined  the  children's 
games,  appearing  friendly.  But  he  was  only  wait- 
ing for  his  chance  of  vengeance;  for,  luring  Gulbey- 
zah's  little  girl  apart,  he  stabbed  her  with  a  dagger 
he  had  got  —  the  Lord  knew  how !  —  and  cried  to 
her  big  brother,  "  Thy  account,  O  tyrant !  " 

His  victim  —  praise  to  Allah  —  was  not  killed ; 
nor  even,  by  His  mercy,  maimed  for  life;  but  the 
ensuing  uproar  in  the  house  may  be  imagined.  The 
murderous  child  had  been  imprisoned  in  a  room 
apart;  the  lord  of  the  harim,  when  summoned,  had 
sent  at  once  for  Yusuf  Bey,  who  was  even  now  ex- 
amining the  culprit.  Directly  the  responsibility  had 
been  lifted  off  them,  they  (the  ladies)  had  flown 
straight  to  Barakah  to  assure  her  of  their  unim- 
paired affection.  But  —  merciful  Allah !  —  what 
was  the  world  coming  to?  They  sought  refuge  in 
Allah  from  such  revengeful  fury  in  so  small  a  child. 

"  You  must  have  used  him  very  cruelly,"  the 
mother  cried.  "  He  is  by  nature  the  most  generous 
of  children,  not  a  criminal !  " 

At  that,  all  four  began  to  talk  at  once.  Barakah 
talked  against  them,  and  the  slave-girls  and  depend- 
ants, looking  on,  raised  cries.  The  argument  was  at 
its  height  when  Yusuf  was  announced.  The  din 
ceased  instantly.  The  four  Circassians  raised  their 
mouth-veils  in  alarm  and  slipped  away ;  the  servants, 
silenced,  went  into  another  room. 

Yusuf  entered,  stern  of  countenance,  dragging  by 
the  arm  the  peccant  boy,  whose  mouth  hung  open, 


224  VEILED  WOMEN 

while  his  eyes  stared  wildly,  fixed  in  the  imbecility 
of  abject  fear. 

Barakah  fell  down  at  her  husband's  feet  and 
screamed  for  mercy.  He  was  obdurate. 

"  Let  be,  O  woman ! "  he  commanded.  "  My 
child,  as  trained  by  thee,  is  now  a  malefactor.  He 
robs  and  kills ;  he  breaks  the  law  of  hospitality.  He 
stole  a  weapon  from  Ghandur,  his  foster-father,  and 
with  it  stabbed  a  little  girl,  whose  guest  he  was. 
Henceforth  I  take  him  from  thee,  and  give  him  to 
my  mothers  to  be  educated.  Seek  not  to  counteract 
their  efforts,  or  by  the  Ca'abah  I  will  beat  thee 
soundly  as  I  now  beat  him." 

With  that,  he  marched  his  son  into  an  inner  room, 
whence  presently  there  issued  sounds  of  blows  and 
bitter  wailing.  Barakah  ground  her  face  upon  the 
floor  and  stopped  her  ears. 

Muhammad,  by  his  father's  orders,  was  shut  off 
from  her  that  night;  and  the  next  morning,  before 
Yusuf  went  to  business,  the  Pasha's  harim  carriage 
came  to  fetch  the  child.  The  eunuch  brought  a 
letter  from  Murjanah  Khanum,  inviting  Barakah  to 
come  and  give  her  counsel.  But  Barakah's  sole 
answer  was  an  angry  cry. 

For  several  days  she  would  not  budge  from  her 
own  rooms,  refused  to  see  the  Pasha's  ladies  when 
they  called,  and  persisted,  notwithstanding  every 
argument,  in  posing  as  the  victim  of  most  foul  in- 
justice. And  Umm  ed-Dahak  coaxed  and  soothed 
her  all  that  while.  At  length,  one  day,  Murjanah 


VEILED  WOMEN  225 

Khanum  entered,  unannounced;  and  Barakah,  in  act 
to  rise  and  make  indignant  protest,  was  silenced  by 
the  sight  of  her  own  child. 

"  Go,  O  Muhammad,  do  what  I  have  told  thee," 
said  the  old  lady,  with  her  hand  on  the  boy's  shoulder. 
Whereat  Muhammad  went  up  gravely  and  bowed 
over  his  mother's  hand  to  kiss  it,  but  she  caught  him 
in  her  arms,  preventing  him.  He  called  out  to 
Murjanah  Khanum  that  it  was  not  fair,  and  strug- 
gled to  get  free.  She  put  him  down,  when  he  went 
on  with  his  polite  performance,  kissed  her  hand  and 
pressed  his  forehead  to  it,  inquired  after  her  health 
and  asked  her  blessing;  and  then  in  the  most  courtly 
Arabic  asked  what  he  had  done  that  one  of  his  par- 
ents, who  were  dearer  to  him  than  all  living  creatures, 
should  punish  him  by  five  days  of  avoidance. 

"  The  harim  of  my  grandfather,  Muhammad 
Pasha  Salih,  depute  me  to  request  that  thou  wilt 
honour  us  this  day  and  every  day  with  thy  most 
gracious  presence,  O  my  mother." 

Before  the  termination  of  this  speech  and  cere- 
mony, Barakah  was  lying  on  her  face  in  tears.  She 
had  thought,  through  the  long  hours  of  deprivation, 
that  they  were  teaching  her  own  child  to  disregard, 
if  not  to  hate  her.  The  relief  was  great.  Murjanah 
sat  beside  her  and  caressed  her,  while  Muhammad, 
standing  reverently,  looked  concerned. 

They  took  her  with  them  in  the  carriage  to  the 
Pasha's  house,  where,  instead  of  reprobation,  she 
met  boundless  sympathy.  The  ladies  Fitnah  and 


226  VEILED  WOMEN 

Murjanah  told  her  all  that  had  been  done  for  the 
small  boy,  with  evident  anxiety  for  her  approval. 
Muhammad  showed  her  all  the  harim  pets.  He  bade 
a  slave-girl  bring  his  own  white  doves.  She  brought 
three  in  her  bosom.  At  his  call,  they  flew  to  him 
and  settled  on  his  head  and  shoulders.  There  dwelt 
a  parrot  in  the  house  of  Na'imah,  a  monkey  in  the 
house  of  Fitnah  Khanum,  which  she  had  to  visit; 
as  well  as  roving  cats,  and  little  birds  in  cages,  and 
several  street-dogs  who  came  round  for  food.  He 
also  showed  with  pride  his  plot  of  garden,  consisting 
of  a  box  of  scented  herbs.  And  all  the  while  that  she 
was  in  the  house,  he  waited  on  her  like  a  page,  kiss- 
ing her  hand  whenever  he  could  get  a  chance,  and 
telling  her  the  joy  he  felt  in  seeing  her.  When,  left 
alone  with  him,  she  strove  to  whisper  consolation, 
he  shook  his  head  decidedly,  and  told  her:  "  O  my 
mother,  I  have  learnt  to  know  that  I  was  very  wicked. 
Thou  wast  ever  much  too  gentle  and  too  kind  with 
me.  Allah  knows  how  much  I  love  thee  —  my 
grandmothers  have  taught  me  that  —  but  it  is  well 
that  I  should  be  removed  from  thee  a  while  and 
brought  to  reverence.  It  is  not  right  that  one  so 
delicate  as  thou  art  should  have  a  rough,  ill-mannered 
boy  to  vex  thee." 

He  loved  her  more  than  ever,  it  appeared,  but 
thought  her  not  much  wiser  than  himself. 

Her  fear  of  the  stern  rules  of  El  Islam  was  tamed 
by  reverence. 

"  By  Allah,  they  are  like  the  string  and  we  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  227 

beads,"  said  Umm  ed-Dahak,  holding  up  a  rosary 
to  point  her  meaning.  "  Thirty-three  beads  of  no 
intrinsic  worth.  If  scattered,  useless  and  soon  lost. 
If  strung  together,  a  comely  instrument  of  praise  to 
God." 

Barakah  watched  Muhammad  with  humility;  not 
jealous  of  the  change  which  had  been  wrought  by 
others,  but  choosing  to  regard  it  as  a  miracle  direct 
from  Heaven.  His  pride,  once  wayward,  now  was 
focused  on  his  coming  manhood.  He  told  her  all  his 
thoughts,  which  seemed  to  her  most  wise.  He  waited 
on  her  hand  and  foot  when  in  her  presence.  Yet  in 
this  deference  there  was  a  touch  of  condescension 
which  was  absent  from  the  honour  which  he  paid  to 
Yusuf.  His  father  was  his  sovereign,  she  his  tender 
care.  Such  wisdom  in  so  small  a  child  appeared 
miraculous.  She  worshipped  his  perfections  while 
he  bowed  before  her. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

AT  seven  years  old  Muhammad  went  to  school.  It 
was  customary  for  the  scions  of  great  houses  to  be 
taught  at  home  by  private  tutors,  but  the  family 
council  had  decreed  that  so  exceptional  a  child  must 
feel  the  yoke  of  public  discipline  and  mix  with  other 
boys  as  soon  as  possible.  The  school,  just  founded 
by  the  widow  of  a  former  ruler,  was  reckoned  mod- 
ern, for  the  simple  reason  that  the  scholars  learnt 
geography  and  history,  and  handled  other  books  as 
well  as  the  august  Goran. 

Ghandur  led  off  Muhammad  every  morning,  and 
brought  him  home  at  evening  through  the  perils  of 
the  streets.  Barakah's  thoughts  were  with  him  all 
day  long;  she  liked  to  guess  at  his  employment  at  a 
given  moment ;  while  Umm  ed-Dahak  painted  flatter- 
ing pictures  of  his  skill  in  learning,  the  astonishment 
of  all  his  masters  at  his  brilliant  genius. 

When  she  was  driven  out  to  pay  her  calls,  Bara- 
kah  arranged  beforehand  with  the  eunuch  that  the 
carriage  should  pull  up  before  the  school.  Then 
through  the  shutter  she  would  watch  the  iron  screen 
which  filled  each  window-arch  and  listen  to  the  drone 
of  children's  voices. 

228 


VEILED  WOMEN  229 

The  school  was  an  octagonal  kiosk  of  marble, 
touching  the  wall  of  a  world-famous  mosque.  Its 
salient  bulk  half  throttled  an  important  thoroughfare, 
forming  a  narrow  strait  where  traffic  battled,  and  on 
each  side  a  little  bay  or  backwater  where  the  carriage 
could  draw  up  without  obstruction.  There,  under- 
neath the  windows  with  their  arabesques  of  iron 
screen-work,  sat  street  sorcerers  with  trays  of  sand 
before  them,  venders  of  sugarcane  and  slabs  of  bread 
and  divers  nuts;  and  holy  beggars  slumbered  in  the 
shade.  Barakah  knew  exactly  where  Muhammad 
had  his  seat  and,  waiting  upon  that  side,  watched 
a  certain  opening  in  the  iron-work,  from  which  there 
presently  emerged  a  little  hand.  It  fluttered  for  a 
moment  and  was  then  withdrawn.  She  waited  for  a 
second  signal  and  a  third  before  she  gave  the  order 
to  drive  on. 

At  school  Muhammad's  aim  was  to  excel  by  all 
means.  The  counsels  of  Murjanah  Khanum,  who 
used  religious  and  inspiring  words,  had  fired  his 
brain.  He  had  but  one  ambition  now  —  to  please 
his  father.  He  would  prove  the  best  of  Muslims,  the 
most  zealous,  the  most  learned,  and  then  his  father 
would  forget  his  former  wickedness.  In  pursuance 
of  this  end  he  chafed  at  every  obstacle  and  was  in- 
furiated by  stupidity  or  sloth  in  others.  He  beat  his 
foster-brother  more  than  once  through  mere  impa- 
tience, and  in  the  end  put  zeal  into  that  vacant  but 
receptive  youth.  And  Barakah,  whose  worship  of 
her  paragon  extended  to  the  son  of  Ghandur  as  his 


230  VEILED  WOMEN 

shadow,  became  the  confidante  of  all  their  thoughts 
and  projects. 

The  report  which  the  headmaster  made  to  Yusuf 
Bey  after  Muhammad's  first  few  weeks  at  school  was 
satisfactory. 

"  The  boy,  thy  son,"  remarked  the  reverend  man, 
"  is  highly  gifted  and  extremely  diligent.  In  sh' Al- 
lah, he  will  live  to  be  a  light  to  El  Islam,  a  glory  to 
this  land  of  Masr,  and  a  worthy  slave  of  the  Most 
High.  We  have  only  one  small  fault  to  find  with 
his  behaviour,  which  is  that,  in  his  eagerness,  he 
answers  questions  we  address  to  other  boys,  and  is 
inclined  to  argue  with  the  teacher  as  if  instruction 
were  for  him  alone." 

His  mother  was  delighted  with  this  verdict,  whose 
one  restriction  seemed  to  her  the  highest  praise.  She 
began  to  cherish  visions  of  his  future  greatness,  and 
with  the  aid  of  Umm  ed-Dahak  built  grand  castles 
in  the  air. 

"  In  sh' Allah,  he  will  rise  to  rule  in  Egypt ;  he  will 
be  the  right  hand  of  the  Khedive,  the  chief  vizier, 
the  leader  of  the  armies ;  the  sword  and  shield  of  El 
Islam,  the  scourge  of  Allah  on  the  heathen  and  all 
infidels." 

Thus  Umm  ed-Dahak,  seated  on  the  floor  beside 
her  mistress ;  who,  reclining  on  the  dais  at  ease  with 
her  narghileh,  removed  the  amber  mouthpiece  from 
her  lips  to  sigh,  «  In  sh'AUah !  " 

In  order  to  be  worthy  of  her  son's  magnificence, 
Barakah  had  evolved  a  fine  romantic  history  out  of 


VEILED  WOMEN  231 

her  own  past.  The  transmutation  of  that  dross  to 
gold  took  place  so  naturally  that  she  was  not  aware 
of  lying  when  she  told  her  crony  that  she  was  of 
royal  birth.  Gentility  being  something  inconceiv- 
able by  Umm  ed-Dahak,  who  knew  of  no  inherited 
prestige  save  that  of  an  Emir,  she  was  obliged,  in 
order  to  convey  the  status  of  a  governess,  to  com- 
pare it  with  the  lot  of  fallen  princes.  From  thence 
to  the  invention  of  a  principality  was  but  a  step. 
The  remonstrance  of  the  Consul  and  of  Mrs.  Cameron 
against  her  marriage  became  the  rage  of  a  fanatical 
and  angry  nation.  The  noise  of  her  conversion 
had  disturbed  all  Europe,  and  nearly  brought  on  a 
religious  war.  Let  Umm  ed-Dahak  ask  the  Pasha, 
if  she  doubted! 

But  Umm  ed-Dahak  was  not  of  the  kind  who 
doubt.  For  her,  romantic  fiction  was  more  worth 
than  fact.  She  accepted  this,  as  she  accepted  every 
tale,  artistically,  and  even  added  likely  details  un- 
perceived  of  Barakah. 

The  servants  came  to  know  the  weakness  of  their 
mistress  and  addressed  her  as  "  Emirah  "  with  all 
kinds  of  ceremony.  The  disease  was  catching;  they 
themselves  became  infected.  With  the  blacks  illusion 
took  the  form  of  demoniacal  possession.  Each  one 
began  to  brag  of  "  him  who  dwells  in  me,"  his  power 
and  jurisdiction  over  other  demons.  Barakah  over- 
heard them  talking  of  their  inmates,  discussing  pedi- 
grees and  finding  out  relationships  which  had 
existence  only  in  the  world  of  ginn.  She  once  com- 


232  VEILED  WOMEN 

plained  of  their  insanity  to  Fitnah  Khanum,  and 
asked  what  could  be  done  to  put  a  stop  to  it. 

"  I  know  one  cure  for  devils  as  for  every  other 
illness  of  unmarried  girls,  and  that  is  matrimony," 
was  the  answer.  "  Among  us  here  it  is  a  sovereign 
remedy;  among  the  Franks  it  seems  less  effica- 
cious." 

"  Among  the  Franks  such  foolish  fancies  are  un- 
known," laughed  Barakah,  when  Fitnah  Khanum 
sniffed,  but  said  no  more. 

"  The  poor  one  is  herself  possessed,"  she  told 
Murjanah  afterwards.  "  The  servants  say  a  prin- 
cess of  the  ginn  inhabits  her;  and  she  complains 
because  they  also  harbour  inmates.  She  ought  to 
see  a  proper  exorcist." 

The  ladies  all  agreed  to  pity  her.  But  Barakah, 
unconscious  of  their  criticism,  pursued  her  path  of 
dreams  with  Umm  ed-Dahak. 

"  May  fire  consume  the  infidels  who  thus  dethroned 
thee,  who  robbed  thee  of  thy  land  and  honours ! " 
cried  the  latter.  "  O  day  of  milk,  when  thou  didst 
fly  for  succour  to  the  Muslimin !  They  will  avenge 
thy  wrongs,  in  sh' Allah,  in  the  time  to  come.  Thy 
son  shall  win  his  birthright  back  with  fire  and 
sword.  .  .  .  Ma  sh' Allah!  Do  I  not  behold  his 
state?  I  see  him  on  a  throne,  with  courtiers  prone 
before  him  —  Muhammad  Yusuf  Pasha,  styled  '  the 
Great ' —  nay,  what  say  I  ?  —  the  Emir,  the  King 
Muhammad  in  virtue  of  his  mother's  dignity !  "  cried 
Umm  ed-Dahak  with  dilated  eyes.  "  By  Allah,  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  233 

most  splendid  scene  I  ever  witnessed!  He  is  Grand 
Vizier!" 

But  the  downfall  of  the  Khedive's  favourite,  oc- 
curring at  this  epoch,  dashed  the  ardour  of  the  seers, 
and  caused  them  in  alarm  to  change  their  vision. 
The  man,  whose  pomp  had  served  them  for  a  measure 
of  Muhammad's  greatness,  disappeared  from  life. 
The  story  ran  that,  having  grown  too  great,  he  had 
been  trapped  by  order  of  his  loving  master,  accom- 
modated with  a  weighted  sack,  and  dropped  into  the 
Nile.  The  tidings  caused  a  flutter  in  the  world  of 
women  like  that  of  seafarers  beholding  shipwreck. 
For  the  favourite's  death  involved  the  ruin  of  a  great 
harim,  boasting  its  troupes  of  dancers  and  of  trained 
musicians,  lavish  of  entertainment  and  of  gay  repute. 
Its  members,  far  too  many  to  be  all  beloved,  had, 
some  of  them,  found  vent  in  wild  amours  which  fur- 
nished thrilling  stories  to  more  lucky  women.  Now 
all  the  slaves  were  scattered  among  other  houses ;  the 
ladies,  owning  private  property,  returned  to  their 
relations  pending  further  marriage.  The  great 
man's  children  were  reduced  to  mediocrity;  his  hon- 
ours and  emoluments  divided  up  among  a  score  of 
courtiers;  his  name  became  a  byword  for  pride's 
fall. 

"  Wallahi,  our  beloved  must  not  follow  in  his  steps 
too  closely.  Allah  forbid ! "  said  Umm  ed-Dahak 
solemnly.  And  forthwith  she  began  to  make  another 
forecast,  with  frequent  "  In  sh' Allans  "  and  "  Ma 
sh' Allans,"  to  rob  it  of  all  taint  of  boastfulness. 


234  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  He  goes  up  gently,  rousing  no  suspicion  in  the 
ruler,  winning  the  people's  voice,  as  did  Muhammad 
Ali.  Then,  when  the  times  are  ripe,  he  asks  the 
Sovereign  and  his  courtiers  to  a  banquet  and  cuts 
all  their  throats.  Then  he  ascends  the  throne  and 
does  good  deeds,  till  all  men  praise  the  Maker  for  his 
rare  benevolence.  And  thou,  his  mother,  wilt  reside 
in  splendid  state,  and  when  the  great  ones  of  the 
English  come  with  gifts  for  thee,  thou  wilt  spit  upon 
them  and  repel  them  with  thy  little  foot.  In  sh* 
Allah!" 

Barakah  would  be  a  widow  in  those  days,  by 
Allah's  mercy.  A  queen,  she  would  of  course  have 
many  lovers.  Did  she  desire  a  man  —  one  word, 
and  he  was  hers  as  quick  as  lightning!  And  Umm 
ed-Dahak  would  be  ever  at  her  call  to  spread  the  net 
for  goodly  youths  and  guard  her  secret. 

"But  I  shall  be  too  old  by  then!"  laughed 
Barakah. 

"  Please  Allah,  no ! "  cried  the  old  woman,  a  trifle 
vexed  at  being  brought  to  earth.  "  Thou  wilt  be 
still  quite  youthful.  See  thee  now:  what  beauty, 
what  a  youthful  figure!  By  Allah,  almost  wicked 
in  a  mother!  Thou  dost  not  grow  old." 

In  fact,  her  shape,  though  something  fat,  was  not 
ungainly,  like  that  of  younger  women  leading  the 
same  life.  She  took  no  care  of  it,  conforming  to  the 
harim  custom  for  women  who  bear  children  to  let 
beauty  go.  "  The  time  and  purpose  of  the  bloom  is 
past,  the  fruit  succeeds,  more  noble,"  they  assured 


VEILED  WOMEN  235 

her.  She  saw  the  rarest  beauties,  like  Bedr-ul- 
Budur,  already  changing  into  fat  old  women.  Com- 
pared with  them  she  felt  still  young  and  comely. 
But  when,  her  carriage  rolling  on  the  Gizah  road,  she 
saw  real  Frankish  women,  riding,  driving,  she  felt  a 
raddled  and  unwieldy  hag.  There  was  one  English- 
woman in  particular  who  often  passed  her,  driving  a 
light  dog-cart  with  a  Nubian  groom  behind  — 
straight  as  a  lance  and  trim  of  waist,  with  rosy  cheeks 
and  bright  eyes  under  grizzled  hair.  A  creature  of 
free  air  and  open  sunlight,  the  shuttered,  perfumed 
shade  could  not  produce  her  like.  A  jealousy  near 
hatred  stirred  in  Barakah. 

One  evening  Yusuf,  thinking  to  amuse  her,  had 
sent  her  with  his  sisters  and  Muhammad  to  the  new 
opera-house  which  the  Khedive  had  built  to  please 
the  European  visitors,  and  also  to  provide  His  High- 
ness with  relays  of  mistresses.  There,  in  a  harim 
box  behind  a  screen,  she  smoked  cigarettes  and  lis- 
tened to  what  seemed  mere  senseless  screeching  to  one 
who  had  admired  the  voice  of  Tahir.  The  opera 
was  Don  Giovanni.  Never  had  she  witnessed  a  per- 
formance so  stilted,  artificial,  and  absurd.  She  quite 
agreed  with  the  remarks  of  her  companions,  who, 
after  their  first  wonder  at  the  building  and  the 
lighted  stage,  yawned  openly  and  called  it  simple 
madness.  Yet  the  entertainment  was  no  bad  one  to 
the  taste  of  Europe,  as  she  knew  from  the  applause 
of  people  in  the  unscreened  boxes,  where  bare-faced, 
brilliant  women  sat  and  stared  about  them.  The 


236  VEILED  WOMEN 

mere  existence  of  those  women  there  in  Cairo,  trans- 
gressing every  native  rule  of  conduct,  was  an  insult. 
The  freshness  even  of  the  old  ones  made  her  conscious 
of  decay.  When  the  girls  after  the  second  act  pro- 
posed to  go,  she  agreed  gladly.  Muhammad 
screamed  to  stay,  and  had  to  be  transported  bodily 
by  Barakah,  while  one  of  his  young  aunts  held  her 
hand  upon  his  mouth.  A  very  small  boy  at  the 
time,  he  had  supposed  the  scene  was  laid  in  hell,  and 
all  the  hideous  screams  of  the  performers  denoted 
pangs  of  tortured  infidels. 

Muhammad,  for  his  mother's  sake,  abhorred  the 
English;  and  yet  he  loved  his  mother,  who  was  of 
that  race.  He  reconciled  these  warring  passions  by 
supposing  the  existence  of  a  race  of  Muslims  in  the 
British  Isles. 

One  day,  when  he  was  ten  years  old,  he  came  home 
with  a  face  of  indignation,  demanding,  "  O  my 
mother,  is  it  not  quite  true  that  the  English  nation 
is  as  strong  and  warlike  as  the  French,  and  nowise 
subject  to  the  lord  of  Paris?  " 

"  True,  O  my  son." 

"  By  Allah,  that  is  what  I  said.  We  were  argu- 
ing, a  dozen  of  us,  after  school.  They  all  opposed 
me,  stating  that  the  French  were  much  the  greater 
and  more  civilised.  I,  sure  of  my  contention,  asked 
a  master  who  stood  by.  He  foolishly  asserted  that 
the  French  were  stronger.  I  informed  him  of  his 
error  in  all  courtesy,  when,  to  my  horror,  he  began 
abusing  me,  detained  me  in  the  school  an  hour  against 


VEILED  WOMEN  237 

my  will,  and  himself  remained  to  gloat  on  my  im- 
prisonment. 

"  Nor  is  that  all.  No  sooner  was  I  free  than  I 
went  to  the  house  of  the  principal  and  made  com- 
plaint of  the  injustice.  He  said  —  the  malefactor! 
-  thus  escaping  from  the  question,  that  it  was  a  sin 
for  true  believers  to  quarrel  for  the  sake  of  infidels. 
I  told  him  there  were  Muslimin  among  the  English, 
as  witness  my  own  mother,  who  is  one  of  them.  He 
had  the  rudeness -to  declare  thou  art  a  convert.  It 
was  all  that  I  could  do  to  keep  from  plucking  at  his 
beard.  I  shall  ask  my  father  to  remove  me  straight- 
way from  a  school  where  lying  insults  and  oppression 
thus  prevail." 

"  Thy  principal  spoke  truth.  I  am  a  convert," 
murmured  Barakah,  hanging  her  head  through  fear 
of  her  son's  shame. 

"  Merciful  Allah ! "  cried  Muhammad,  greatly 
shocked. 

But  in  a  moment  he  recovered  from  the  blow. 
Kissing  her  hand,  he  murmured  fondly: 

"  Be  not  downcast,  O  beloved,  it  is  not  thy  fault. 
My  comrades  sneer  at  converts ;  but  no  matter.  I 
shall  still  maintain  that  thou  wert  born  in  the  right 
way.  Thou  art  still  my  dearest  mother,  loved  and 
honoured." 

The  lover-like,  protecting  air  became  him  rarely. 


CHAPTER    XXIX 

NEWS  from  the  world  of  men  reached  the  harim 
like  voices  from  the  street  without.  From  time  to 
time  some  item,  interesting  them,  was  cried  in  tones 
of  censure  or  approval;  but  always  in  a  manner  of 
abstraction.  This  apathy  arose  from  centuries  of 
strict  seclusion,  in  which,  through  change  of  dy- 
nasties and  strife  of  factions,  the  privilege  of  the 
harim  had  been  respected.  The  women  felt  that 
politics  could  not  come  near  them;  the  government 
which  ruled  the  men  was  none  of  theirs.  A  realm 
within  the  realm,  they  had  their  own  excitements, 
their  own  concerns  of  life  and  death  and  amorous 
crime.  Events  the  most  important  failed  to  move 
them,  while  trifling  breaches  of  religion  or  old  custom 
caused  a  vast  commotion  in  that  nursery  of  fanati- 
cism. 

One  day,  when  Barakah  was  out  driving  in  her 
carriage,  she  was  stopped  near  Abdin  palace  by  the 
pressure  of  excited  crowds  and  heard  the  sounds 
of  angry  tumult.  The  driver  backed  the  horses  and 
then  turned.  On  reaching  home  she  asked  the  eu- 
nuch of  the  matter. 

He  shrugged :  "  It  is  the  soldiers,  O  my  lady. 
238 


VEILED  WOMEN  239 

They  are  angry  at  the  coming  of  the  Frank  com- 
missioners." 

It  was  then  that  she  presumed  to  question  Yusuf, 
and  learnt  that  two  commissioners,  one  French,  one 
English,  had  come  to  take  control  of  the  finances  of 
the  country.  The  Khedive,  that  jovial  libertine  and 
spendthrift,  was  now  bankrupt.  The  Europeans,  as 
his  creditors,  assumed  the  reins. 

"  But  why  the  English  ? "  questioned  Barakah 
with  irritation,  for  up  to  then  the  French  alone  had 
been  a  power  in  Egypt. 

"  Wallahi,  just  because  their  men  are  clever,"  was 
the  answer.  "  They  bought  up  all  our  Sovereign's 
shares  in  the  canal.  Their  guile  is  great,  but  greater 
Allah's  mercy,  for  the  arrival  of  these  Franks  is  good 
for  me.  Knowing  both  their  languages  I  am  put 
forward  to  receive  them,  and  so  rise  in  honour." 

In  fact,  a  few  days  later  he  was  made  a  Pasha. 

But  Barakah  could  not  regard  the  case  thus  philo- 
sophically. The  intrusion  of  the  English  frightened 
her.  If  they  should  ever  come  to  lord  it  in  the 
country  her  degradation  would  be  unendurable.  She 
confided  her  displeasure  to  Muhammad,  who  took  an 
interest  in  politics  as  schoolboys  will.  He  bade  her 
have  no  fear;  the  Muslims  would  destroy  them 
presently.  The  women  told  her  God  would  intervene. 
But  things  went  rapidly  from  bad  to  worse. 

Since  a  French  force  under  Bonaparte  had  entered 
Cairo,  before  the  era  of  Muhammad  Ali,  no  such 
fury  had  possessed  the  world  of  women  as  that  which 


240  VEILED  WOMEN 

seized  them  on  the  deposition  of  the  Khedive  Ismail. 
Whatever  touched  the  majesty  of  El  Islam  excited 
them;  vile  infidels  had  here  contrived  the  downfall 
of  a  Muslim  ruler.  And  there  ensued  a  host  of  in- 
novations, in  which  the  hand  of  unbelief  was  plainly 
visible. 

The  slave-trade  had  been  formally  abolished  under 
Ismail,  to  please  the  Franks,  but  with  the  customary 
wink  of  that  facetious  monarch.  The  trade  con- 
tinued gaily  with  his  sly  connivance.  Now,  in  his 
son's  reign,  it  began  to  be  suppressed  in  earnest. 
The  slaves  themselves  were  loud  in  lamentation. 
When  it  was  known  that  slavery  itself  was  menaced, 
the  harim  chattered  like  ten  thousand  angry  parrots. 

"  The  Lord  have  mercy  on  us !  It  is  gross  im- 
piety," screamed  Fitnah  Khanum.  "  Does  not  the 
august  Coran  lay  down  strict  rules  for  the  control 
of  slaves?  Is  it  not  therefore  Allah's  will  that  they 
exist?  " 

"  The  trade  in  slaves  is  holy,"  cried  Gulbeyzah ; 
"  bringing  every  year  a  thousand  converts  out  of 
heathendom.  If  some  are  slain,  it  is  no  matter, 
since  the  death  of  heathens  is  uncounted,  like  the 
death  of  beasts.  Without  the  cruel  raids,  the  blood- 
shed, the  survivors  had  not  known  salvation.  Praise 
be  to  Allah,  they  cannot  suppress  the  trade  in  us 
white  people,  since  a  father's  right  to  sell  his  child 
resides  in  nature.  Only  since  the  English  meddle  do 
we  hear  such  wickedness." 

Besides   the    slave-trade,   good   old   customs    were 


VEILED  WOMEN  241 

abolished  —  one  ceremony  called  the  trampling,  in 
particular,  in  which  a  sheykh,  renowned  for  piety, 
was  wont  to  ride  on  horseback  over  strewn  believers. 
Some  people  thought  the  world  was  coming  to  an 
end,  and  looked  for  the  appearance  of  the  final 
prophet.  The  times  were  full  of  omens,  portents, 
monstrous  births.  The  French  and  English,  in  col- 
lusion, gave  command  in  Egypt;  the  monarch  was  a 
puppet  in  their  hands.  The  apathy  of  men  amazed 
the  women  looking  on.  The  good  Khedive  appeared 
a  devil  to  those  hot  non-combatants ;  rebellion  a  plain 
duty  upon  all  believers.  They  prayed  for  a  de- 
liverer to  be  raised  up;  and  in  the  absence  of  the 
prophet  whom  they  half  expected,  applauded  the 
exertions  of  a  simple  soldier,  who  ventured  to  oppose 
the  wicked  rulers. 

With  the  exception  of  some  Turks,  who  sneered 
from  pride  of  race,  the  whole  harim  acclaimed  Arabi 
from  his  first  appearance  as  a  champion.  The 
women  viewed  the  question  very  simply.  Here,  on 
one  hand,  was  a  man  who  wished  to  free  the  land 
from  foreign  interference,  whose  cry  of  Egypt  for 
the  Egyptians,  must  mean  Egypt  for  the  Muslims, 
since  the  Copts  were  nobody ;  on  the  other,  an  infirm, 
if  not  a  wicked,  ruler  who  was  letting  all  the  priv- 
ilege of  El  Islam  be  torn  away.  In  vain  their  men 
assured  them  the  Khedive  was  a  good  Muslim,  and 
only  deferential  to  the  Franks  from  sheer  expedi- 
ency; that  Arabi's  faction  was  the  work  of  clever 
rascals,  and  boasted  not  one  man  of  solid  parts. 


242  VEILED  WOMEN 

They  took  religious  ground  and  would  not  listen. 
They  taught  their  children  to  admire  Arabi.  Mu- 
hammad, now  a  student  in  the  school  of  war,  assisted 
by  his  faithful  Ali,  fought  five  boys  who  dared  to 
ridicule  the  peasant  soldier.  Though  beaten  many 
times  the  two  did  not  give  way,  though  Ali,  for  his 
own  part,  would  have  fled  thrice  over.  But  Mu- 
hammad was  indomitable.  Bruised  and  bleeding,  he 
returned  with  fury  to  the  charge,  till  his  opponents 
fled  in  pure  religious  terror  of  such  dauntless  rage. 
A  few  weeks  later  the  whole  land  was  cringing  be- 
fore Arabi's  power.  And  then  excitements  followed 
thick  and  fast.  Muhammad  brought  his  mother  all 
the  latest  rumours.  One  day  it  was: 

"  Great  tidings,  O  my  mother !  All  the  Franks 
are  flying!  Ali  and  I  have  been  to  watch  them  at 
the  railway  station.  Such  a  crowd !  The  faithful, 
past  all  patience,  have  risen  up  at  Tantah  and 
Iskenderiyeh  and  slain  thousands  of  them." 

A  number  of  the  loyal  Turks  were  also  flying. 
Aminah  Khanum  and  Bedr-ul-Budur  came  to  take 
leave  of  Barakah.  They  were  bound  for  Alexandria, 
in  the  train  of  the  Khedive,  and  thence  would  take 
ship  for  Constantinople  if  things  grew  no  better. 
Muhammad,  when  informed  of  their  departure, 
rendered  praise  to  Allah. 

"  They  are  vanquished,"  he  remarked.  "  But 
would  to  Allah  that  we  had  more  Turks  on  our  side. 
These  fellahin,  though  braggarts,  are  great  cowards. 
They  need  the  whip  to  urge  them  into  battle.  I, 


VEILED  WOMEN  248 

who  am  half  a  Turk  and  half  an  Englishman,  cannot 
endure  the  sluggishness  of  this  Nile  mud." 

The  boy  forgot  the  portion  of  his  blood  which  was 
derived  from  Fitnah  Khanum,  his  paternal  grand- 
mother. It  was  Nile  mud  of  the  thickest,  but  it 
did  not  show  in  him.  All  hot  and  noble  counsels 
moved  him  to  enthusiasm;  the  lukewarm  and  the 
philosophical  enraged  his  soul.  Stupidity  or  inso- 
lence in  an  inferior  he  could  not  brook.  If  his  com- 
mands were  not  obeyed  at  once  and  with  intelligence, 
he  struck  hard  with  the  first  instrument  that  came  to 
hand,  and  called  down  Allah's  wrath  on  the  offender. 
The  old  Pasha  was  delighted  by  those  outbursts,  as 
showing  the  commanding  spirit  of  his  Turkish  race. 

"  When  all  these  low-born  troubles  have  passed 
over,  we  must  procure  him  some  small  government," 
he  said  to  Yusuf,  who  acquiesced  with  a  pathetic 
smile.  He  had  not  that  supreme  contempt  for  the 
Egyptian  rebels  which  kept  his  aged  father  calm 
amid  the  storm.  He  held  a  good  position,  and  he 
feared  to  lose  it ;  whereas  his  father  had  retired  from 
public  life. 

Barakah  delighted  in  her  son's  account  of  the 
disorders.  His  excitement  and  the  animation  of 
each  glance  and  gesture  provided  her  with  pictures 
upon  which  she  brooded  in  the  vacancy  of  summer 
days.  The  air  which  drifted  through  her  lattice 
was  oppressive,  the  sunlight  like  a  furnace  fire  with- 
out; the  voices  of  the  street  complained  of  dust  and 
heat ;  the  ceaseless  buzz  of  flies  benumbed  the  brain ; 


244  VEILED  WOMEN 

the  call  for  water  rang  incessantly  through  all  the 
house,  and  even  Umm  ed-Dahak  felt  too  weak  to 
talk.  But  Barakah  was  happy,  since  Muhammad 
spent  much  time  with  her,  finding  her  conversation 
more  congenial  to  his  patriotic  mood  than  that  of 
Yusuf.  In  his  absence  she  lay  still  and  smoked,  and 
quenched  her  thirst  at  frequent  intervals,  taking  scant 
notice  of  her  little  daughter  —  the  only  other  of  her 
many  children  who  had  managed  to  survive  the  second 
year.  Umm  ed-Dahak  loved  the  child  and  schooled 
her  privately,  telling  her  stories  of  man's  love  and 
woman's  duty,  and  teaching  her  to  pose  and  ogle  in 
the  proper  way.  But  for  the  rest  she  was  of  no 
importance;  Muhammad's  known  affection  for  her 
was  her  only  merit. 

One  afternoon  Muhammad  came  in  with  a  mien 
of  wild  excitement  and,  having  kissed  his  mother's 
hand,  cried  out: 

"  Most  dreadful  news !  O  horror !  O  revenge ! 
The  English  have  destroyed  Iskenderiyeh  with  their 
cruel  guns !  The  English  only,  since  the  French, 
more  honourable,  fled  from  the  hateful  sight  with 
tears  of  shame.  Simply  because  the  forts  were  be- 
ing mended,  and  work  was  not  relaxed  at  their  com- 
mand. But,  praise  to  Allah,  we  have  hurt  them  also. 
Quite  half  their  fleet  has  been  destroyed  by  our  brave 
fire.  After  this,  we  give  no  quarter  —  no,  by  Allah ! 
It  is  holy  war.  Muhammad  Tewfik  is  proclaimed  a 
scoundrel.  Our  Arabi  is  Dictator.  The  army  is  to 
be  augmented  fourfold  by  forced  levies.  I  met  a 


VEILED  WOMEN  245 

boy,  no  older  than  myself,  who  goes  to  fight.  I  go 
this  minute  to  implore  my  father  to  let  me  likewise 
join  the  army  in  the  field." 

"  Thy  age  is  but  fifteen.  O  Lord,  he  must  not 
go ! "  cried  out  his  mother  in  an  agony  of  apprehen- 
sion. 

"  I  am  a  man  full-grown,  proficient  in  all  exercises 
that  belong  to  war.  As  young  as  I  are  going. 
Think,  it  is  against  the  English,  O  my  mother  —  thy 
vile  enemies ! " 

Embracing  her  without  a  thought  for  her  despair, 
he  left  her  in  great  haste  to  find  his  father. 


CHAPTER    XXX 

YUSTJF  PASHA  was  upon  the  point  of  going  out  when 
his  son  was  shown  into  his  presence  in  his  private 
room.  He  smiled  upon  the  stripling's  prayer  to  be 
allowed  to  fight,  but  said: 

"  No,  no,  my  son.  Thou  art  too  young  as  yet. 
Wait  till  the  war  is  ended  and  then  join  the  fray." 

With  that  he  patted  the  boy's  cheek,  bestowed 
his  blessing  on  him,  and  went  out,  little  guessing 
that  he  left  despair  behind  him.  A  carriage  waited 
for  him  at  the  door.  An  armed  slave  scrambled  up 
beside  the  driver.  It  was  the  hour  of  sunset.  Two 
months  since  the  ways  would  have  been  merry  at  that 
hour.  But  now  the  passengers  were  few  and  fully 
armed;  they  looked  suspicious  and,  where  groups 
were  formed,  the  talk  seemed  guarded.  A  curse  had 
fallen  on  the  happy  city.  The  sunset  blushed  on  her 
high  roofs,  the  crescent  flashed  on  all  her  spires  and 
domes,  and  in  the  gullies  which  were  streets  lay 
depths  of  shade;  yet  no  one  felt  the  rapture  of  the 
evening. 

Yusuf,  lolling  in  the  carriage,  gnawed  his  black 
moustache  and  cursed  the  revolutionaries  from  his 
heart.  He  had  attained  the  wisdom  which  comes 

246 


VEILED  WOMEN  347 

easily  to  middle  age,  hated  disturbance  and  distrusted 
novelty.  The  nervous  passion  which  had  marked  his 
youth  still  dwelt  in  him ;  but  he  reserved  its  trans- 
ports for  the  calls  of  private  life;  having  another 
wife  besides  the  Englishwoman,  and  two  concubines, 
whom  he  kept  in  the  provincial  centre  whither  public 
business  often  called  him.  Politics  had  been  for  him 
a  well-ruled  game,  on  which  a  man  would  be  a  fool 
to  waste  vitality.  As  a  functionary,  he  had  lounged 
on  sofas,  telling  beads,  dictating  orders  to  his  secre- 
taries, at  ease  except  when  called  before  superiors; 
until  this  military  rising  scared  his  soul.  Its  swift- 
ness and  success  seemed  downright  fiendish. 

One  day  a  painstaking,  obedient  native  officer  had 
been  selected  by  the  Khedive  Ismail  to  organise  a 
riot  hostile  to  the  Frank  commissioners.  He  seemed 
so  trusty  and  discreet  that  Ismail  forbore  to  execute 
him  for  the  trifling  service.  Within  two  years  he 
was  the  idol  of  the  native  soldiers,  the  spokesman  of 
their  grievances  against  the  foreign  Turks ;  in  five, 
he  was  the  incubus  and  dread  of  Egypt,  first 
Minister  of  War  and  now  Dictator.  That  first  em- 
ployment recommended  him  to  schemers  as  one  who 
did  not  fear  to  lead  rebellion.  Straightforward  and 
excitable,  extremely  zealous  in  whatever  charge  he 
undertook,  he  was  thrust  forward  by  the  clever  ones 
to  posts  of  hazard.  His  prompters,  Asiatics,  saw 
the  bounds  of  his  intelligence  and  thought  to  keep 
him  in  their  hands,  a  priceless  instrument.  But 
they  had  not  allowed  for  the  inflation  of  the  African, 


248  VEILED  WOMEN 

who,  being  once  exalted,  swelled  and  swelled  until 
his  greatness  overawed  its  very  founders. 

An  honest  man  and  a  good  Muslim,  Ahmad 
Arabi  lacked  the  cleverness  of  the  conspirator;  nor 
was  he  one.  The  sordid  plots  which  guided  his 
career  were  spun  behind  him;  while  he  pressed  on- 
ward with  clear  brow  and  conquering  smile  —  a 
doomed  man,  in  the  view  of  calm  spectators. 

Yusuf  had  known  Arabi  for  some  years  and  liked 
him  personally ;  but  the  Khedive  Muhammad  Tewfik 
was  his  friend  from  childhood.  Entreated  by  the 
agitators  to  take  office  with  them,  he  had  referred 
the  question  to  the  good  Khedive,  who  begged  him 
to  accept  the  post  thus  offered,  that  he  (Muhammad 
Tewfik  Pasha,  Lord  of  Egypt)  might  have  one  friend 
among  his  so-called  servants.  Tied  by  his  duties, 
he  had  not  fled  to  Alexandria  with  the  Sovereign ;  but 
remained  behind  in  an  absurd  position,  a  member 
of  the  rebel  government  which  he  abhorred.  He 
was  now  upon  his  way  to  meet  some  other  Turks 
thus  stranded,  to  decide  on  some  safe  line  of  future 
conduct. 

The  rendezvous  was  at  his  father's  house,  where, 
in  the  great  reception-room,  he  found  a  score  of  men 
assembled.  All  had  the  faces  of  conspirators  except 
his  father,  a  very  old  man  now,  who  bade  them  wel- 
come as  to  some  court  function. 

"  Where  is  my  son  Hamdi  ?  "  asked  the  patriarch 
upon  the  dais,  peering  round  upon  the  red-capped 
and  black-coated  throng. 


VEILED  WOMEN  249 

"  He  is  not  with  us.  He  has  joined  the  fellahin. 
He  dared  not  tell  thee,"  answered  Yusuf  sadly. 

"  Well,  well,"  remarked  Muhammad  Pasha,  with 
benignity.  "  Boys  will  be  foolish !  In  Allah's  name 
I  bid  you  welcome,  O  my  friends.  It  is  well  known 
that  I  myself  despise  these  upstarts  and  have  told 
their  leader  my  opinion  to  his  face.  Less  old,  I 
should  have  spent  my  life  and  fortune  for  the  young 
Khedive,  whose  ancestor,  the  great  Muhammad  Ah", 
raised  my  house  to  honour ;  as  it  is,  I  pray  to  God  to 
grant  him  victory.  But  his  dependence  on  the  Eng- 
lish likes  me  not;  and  God  forbid  that  I  should  in- 
fluence your  counsels.  You  have,  each  one,  his  life 
and  fortune  to  protect,  his  duty  to  decide  towards 
El  Islam." 

He  stopped,  and  an  uneasy  silence  reigned  for 
quite  a  minute.  It  was  broken  by  a  man  exclaim- 
ing, "  They  have  set  up  a  tribunal  in  each  town  with 
power  to  ruin  or  to  kill  a  man  on  mere  suspicion. 
Hear  the  wording  of  a  document  which  I  received 
this  day." 

With  that,  he  took  a  paper  from  his  breast  and 
read  aloud  its  contents  —  a  call  in  truculent,  in- 
flated language  upon  the  patriot  Mahmud  the  son 
of  Hafiz  to  show  his  fervour  by  a  contribution  to  the 
war  fund;  failing  which,  he  would  be  prosecuted  as 
a  foe  to  Egypt  — "  for  the  public  safety." 

"  Aha !  "  laughed  the  old  Pasha  in  his  thin,  cracked 
voice.  "  A  French  model,  by  my  beard !  For  men 
who  would  eschew  all  foreign  influence !  That  is  the 


250  VEILED  WOMEN 

hand  of  Tulbah,  not  Arabi.  The  mountebanks! 
The  silly  children  —  apish  imitators !  " 

"  By  your  Excellency's  leave  the  matter  is  ex- 
tremely serious  —  for  me  at  least,"  groaned  out  the 
owner  of  the  notice. 

"Thou  wilt  make  the  contribution?"  inquired 
Yusuf. 

"  Better  flee,'*  remarked  another. 

And  then  they  all  began  to  talk  together  in 
low  whispers  with  frightened  glances  round  the  room, 
for  spies  were  everywhere.  Flight  was  now  hope- 
less, every  one  agreed;  nothing  remained  but  to 
feign  ardour  in  Arabi's  cause,  give  up  communica- 
tion with  the  loyalists  at  Alexandria,  and  pray  for 
the  usurper's  overthrow. 

"  They  cannot  last,  I  tell  you,"  chuckled  the  old 
Pasha.  "  These  fellahin  are  quite  unfit  for  govern- 
ment. The  young  Khedive  has  been  too  kind.  He 
has  not  whipped  them.  My  son  and  I  were  present 
when  his  father  warned  him  to  execute  these  men,  his 
creatures,  who  had  tasted  power.  A  sad  mistake,  by 
Allah !  For,  Allah  knows,  we  do  not  want  the  Eng- 
lish in  this  land.  My  life-work,  that  of  all  the  old 
diplomatists,  has  been  to  stave  off  European  inter- 
ference, by  compliments,  by  guile,  by  small  conces- 
sions. O  Allah,  let  me  die  before  the  evil  day !  The 
Lord  preserve  us  from  the  domination  of  the  infi- 
dels ! " 

The  old  man  dropped  his  hands  and  hung  his 
head. 


VEILED  WOMEN  251 

"  Better  the  English  than  this  present  anarchy," 
another  murmured.  "  Already  the  whole  land  is 
overrun  by  gangs  of  brigands.  The  streets  here  in 
the  capital  grow  dangerous.  There  is  no  order  kept 
except  among  the  soldiers.  All  trade,  all  enterprise, 
is  at  a  standstill,  and  every  public  undertaking  goes 
to  ruin.  Already  all  the  people  hate  Arabi." 

"  The  Lord  deliver  us,"  said  Yusuf,  "  from  him 
and  from  the  English  both.  A  dreadful  quandary !  " 

When  he  went  forth  to  his  carriage,  still  in  wait- 
ing, he  told  his  slave  to  have  his  pistols  ready,  and 
himself  examined  the  revolver  which  he  carried.  He 
wrapped  a  shawl  about  his  face  to  pass  unrecognised 
and,  thus  protected  and  disguised,  drove  through  the 
darkling  streets,  where  every  wayfarer  betrayed  the 
like  anxiety.  Only  the  street-dogs  went  about  their 
work  as  usual,  prowling  along  the  walls  in  search  of 
offal. 

At  his  own  door  a  man  accosted  him.  It  was  one 
of  his  paid  spies.  He  led  the  way  across  the  hall 
into  his  private  room. 

"  What  news  ?  "  he  questioned. 

"May  Allah  turn  it  to  thy  good!"  the  spy  re- 
plied, with  his  profoundest  reverence.  "  I  have  it 
from  a  member  of  the  new  Committee  that  your 
Highness  is  marked  down  as  a  suspected  notable. 
They  say  it  may  mean  destitution,  even  death." 

"  I  thank  thee,"  murmured  Yusuf  and  dismissed 
the  man.  Directly  he  was  gone  he  called  Ghandur 
and  said: 


252  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  Didst  thou  not  tell  me,  O  beloved,  that  thou 
hadst  some  relative  a  member  of  the  new  Committee 
for  the  Public  Safety?  " 

"  Yes,  O  my  lord !  The  person  is  my  father's 
brother,  a  small  merchant." 

"  Where  is  their  place  of  meeting?  " 

"  I  can  show  it  thee." 

"  Do  they  meet  every  day  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,  but  will  ascertain." 

"  Good.  I  shall  wait  upon  them  in  the  morning. 
At  daybreak  take  ten  pounds  out  of  the  treasury  and 
carry  it  to  thy  relation  to  bespeak  his  favour." 

"  Has  aught  untoward  happened?  " 

"  Untoward  ?     Listen !  "     Yusuf  told  the   story. 

"  Merciful  Allah !  How  can  such  things  be  ?  " 
exclaimed  Ghandur.  "  We  are  the  greatest  in  the 
land,  they  —  filthy  upstarts.  How  much  does  my 
good  lord  propose  to  give?  " 

"  A  thousand  pounds  were  not  too  much  to  save 
my  life." 

"  Deign  but  to  hear  my  counsel !  Give  a  hundred 
and  ask  leave  for  thy  son  to  join  the  army.  He  is 
prostrated  by  thy  late  refusal.  His  going  will  prove 
more  than  any  gift  of  money  that  thy  heart  is  with 
the  cause  —  which,  Allah  knows,  may  be  the  right 
one,  since  our  lord  has  chosen  to  put  trust  in  infidels. 
His  mother  even  wishes  it,  to  heal  his  chagrin.  She 
sent  for  me  and  asked  me  to  entreat  your  Excellency. 
We  have  good  friends  within  the  army  who  will  see 


VEILED  WOMEN  253 

that  he  is  kept  from  fighting.  My  son  shall  go 
along  with  him,  to  be  his  servant." 

Ghandur,  the  simple  creature,  was  in  tears. 

"  By  Allah,  I  will  think  about  it,"  murmured 
Yusuf. 

Five  minutes  later  he  repaired  to  his  son's  room, 
revived  the  lad,  and  passing  thence  to  the  haramlik, 
told  Barakah  that  her  request  was  granted.  She  was 
half  stunned,  for  she  had  counted  on  his  obduracy. 

Not  noticing  her  dazed  condition,  for  his  mind  ran 
still  on  puzzles  of  diplomacy,  he  added: 

"  Thou,  who  art  English,  O  my  sweet  one,  inform 
me  of  that  nation !  Are  they  harsh  as  conquerors  ? 
What  is  their  custom  with  regard  to  vengeance?  Do 
they  burn  and  ravish,  or  merely  punish  those  who 
have  borne  arms  against  them?  It  is  important  I 
should  know  beforehand  if  they  win  the  day." 

Barakah  stared  at  him  vaguely  for  a  moment; 
then  bursting  into  tears,  exclaimed: 

"  Cut  short  thy  life !  O  most  unfeeling  father ! 
O  appalling  prospect!  I  would  sooner  die  a  thou- 
sand deaths  than  see  them  conquer." 

"  Merciful  Allah,  are  they  so  fanatical?  "  gasped 
Yusuf,  with  a  face  of  great  dismay.  "  I  meant  not 
to  alarm  thee,  O  beloved.  I  was  thinking  only  of 
myself,  how  to  behave  in  case  things  happened  so, 
which  God  forbid !  " 

But  Barakah  thought  only  of  their  son. 


CHAPTER    XXXI 

"  A  SPLENDID  victory  at  Kaf  r  ed-Dowar !  A  thou- 
sand infidels  despatched  to  Hell,  and  not  a  single 
blessed  martyr  gone  to  Paradise ! "  cried  Umm  ed- 
Dahak,  entering  her  lady's  presence  on  a  summer 
evening.  "  Ghandur  has  got  the  news-sheet,  and 
craves  leave  to  read  it  to  thee." 

The  lady  ordered  him  to  be  admitted  instantly. 
Muhammad  and  his  servant  Ali  were  at  Kafr  ed- 
Dowar.  Drawing  her  head-veil  so  as  to  leave  one 
eye  visible,  she  listened  to  the  short  triumphant 
notice,  which  began  and  ended  with  "  the  praise  to 
Allah!" 

"  The  praise  to  Allah  truly !  "  she  suspired.  "  Not 
one  was  killed." 

Ghandur  assured  her  then,  as  he  had  done  a  score 
of  times,  that  Muhammad,  with  the  blessing  of  the 
Highest,  ran  no  danger.  By  arrangement  with  the 
leaders  he  was  kept  at  work  in  the  trenched  camp, 
away  from  fighting.  But  her  anxiety  was  not 
allayed,  her  boy  was  venturesome  and,  burning  as 
he  was  to  fight,  might  break  through  rules. 

Every  evening  in  Arabi's  journal  there  was  news 
of  some  fresh  triumph,  either  at  Kafr  ed-Dowar,  by 
Alexandria,  or  on  the  banks  of  the  Canal,  where  the 

254 


VEILED  WOMEN  255 

main  force  of  the  English  was  now  operating.  She 
heard  it  said  on  all  hands  that  the  war  would  soon  be 
over.  Yet,  though  every  one  abounded  in  exultant 
phrases,  no  single  soul  appeared  exceptionally  cheer- 
ful ;  and  she  herself  did  not  disguise  her  sorrow.  The 
absence  of  Muhammad  was  a  constant  pain.  She 
gave  attention  to  her  little  daughter  fitfully. 

The  weather  was  intensely  hot,  the  town  a  desert 
full  of  dismal  noises.  So  many  men  had  been  com- 
pelled to  join  the  army,  so  many  beasts  of  burden 
had  been  pressed  for  transport  purposes,  that  trade 
was  paralysed  and  traffic  almost  ceased.  When  she 
drove  out,  the  aspect  of  the  streets  dismayed  her; 
it  was  as  if  the  city  had  been  ravaged  by  a  pestilence. 
The  European,  Syrian,  Armenian  quarters  were 
utterly  deserted,  all  the  houses  closed;  and  elsewhere 
there  was  very  little  movement.  In  other  summers 
the  harim  had  gone  into  the  country,  and  Barakah 
would  gladly  have  drawn  nearer  to  the  seat  of  war; 
but  her  husband  vetoed  the  proposal  instantly,  the 
country  districts  were  unsafe  and  overrun  by  brig- 
ands. Yusuf  was  irritable  in  those  days.  He  had 
his  bed  in  the  selamlik  and  seldom  could  spare  time 
to  visit  Barakah. 

"  I  believe  he  has  another  woman  somewhere,"  she 
told  Umm  ed-Dahak  in  a  hopeless  tone. 

"  It  is  his  right,  by  Allah,"  answered  the  old 
woman ;  "  and  no  slight  to  thee,  if  thou  wouldst  view 
it  fairly,  and  throw  aside  the  silly  fiction  of  the 
Franks.  It  is  the  nature  of  a  man  to  have  more 


256  VEILED  WOMEN 

wives  than  one,  and  a  woman  should  no  more  resent 
his  doing  so  —  always  provided  he  does  not  defraud 
her  —  than  blame  a  cat  for  having  several  kittens 
at  a  birth.  Ibrahim,  the  father  of  the  faithful, 
Musa  —  all  the  prophets  till  the  crown  of  them  (God 
bless  and  save  him)  married  more  than  one.  Polyg- 
amy was  in  the  customs  of  the  Jews  and  Christians 
until  they  fell  away  from  El  Islam.  Nay,  a  remem- 
brance of  it  still  exists  among  the  Franks.  For  do 
not  their  religious  women  dwell  together  in  one  house, 
obedient  to  a  rule  like  ours,  attired  like  us,  and  call 
themselves  —  I  ask  pardon  of  the  Lord  —  Harim 
Allah  (the  wives  of  God)?  Rank  blasphemy,  by 
Allah !  Yet  it  shows  that  the  old  rule  is  not  entirely 
lost." 

Barakah  was  too  disconsolate  to  be  contentious. 
Let  Muhammad  but  return  to  her  in  safety  and  she 
would  not  care  though  Yusuf  took  a  thousand  wives ; 
but  in  his  absence  everything  seemed  grievous. 

A  real  sorrow  overhung  the  house  of  Yusuf;  for 
the  old  Pasha  was  fast  sinking  to  the  grave.  Hamdi, 
the  hot  disciple  of  Arabi,  the  poet  of  rebellion, 
author  of  the  famous  calls  to  patriotism  which  were 
printed  every  week  in  the  official  journal,  was  bowed 
down  by  grief.  He  thought  his  siding  with  the  mal- 
contents had  killed  his  father. 

"But  what  was  I  to  do?  "  he  asked  of  Barakah, 
to  whom,  as  an  old  friend,  he  took  his  troubles. 
"  Their  cries  had  fired  my  spirit.  I  could  not  keep 


VEILED  WOMEN  257 

silent.  Na'imah  tells  me  not  to  worry,  yet  I  feel 
most  guilty." 

Yusuf,  too,  was  downcast  and  repentant. 

"  We  have  been  like  fools,"  he  sighed,  "  wasting 
in  vanity  the  precious  hours  we  might  have  spent 
with  him  —  as  if  we  thought  that  he  would  live  for 
ever.  Now  the  end  draws  near,  we  can  but  beat 
our  breasts  and  curse  our  folly." 

When  Barakah  went  to  the  old  palace  to  inquire, 
she  was  struck  by  the  despairing  looks  of  all  the 
servants.  A  eunuch  with  a  very  woful  smile  con- 
ducted her  to  Fitnah  Khanum,  who  exclaimed  at 
sight  of  her: 

"  The  praise  to  Allah,  thou  art  come !  Our  lord 
has  asked  for  thee.  Murjanah  was  just  going  to 
despatch  a  messenger.  Come!  Come  at  once! 
There  is  no  time  to  lose.  He  has  refused  to  take 
a  potion  which  I  had  prepared.  He  will  not  let  a 
charm  be  hung  upon  him.  He  resigns  his  life  to 
Allah.  It  is  the  end." 

Murjanah  Khanum  sat  beside  the  bed,  holding  the 
old  man's  hand.  About  the  walls  crouched  many 
black-robed  women,  waiting  in  silence,  like  a  flock  of 
vultures. 

"  Here  is  the  wife  of  Yusuf,"  said  Murjanah,  giv- 
ing place  to  Barakah. 

The  Pasha  spoke  in  French.     His  voice  was  faint. 

"  Madame,"  he  said,  "  I  am  about  to  die,  and  I 
am  glad  to  be  allowed  to  say  adieu  to  you.  Very 


258  VEILED  WOMEN 

often  have  I  thought  of  you  and  of  your  life  among 
us.  I  feel  a  very  grave  responsibility.  I  trust  that 
you  have  been,  upon  the  whole,  content." 

Barakah  declared  herself  quite  happy,  and  he 
said,  "  Thank  God !  " 

"  But  you  will  not  leave  us  yet ;  you  will  recover," 
she  exclaimed. 

"  No,  no,  my  cherished  daughter.  My  last  hour 
has  sounded.  I  have  lived  to  see  my  lifework  all 
undone.  The  Christians  always  sought  a  war  with 
El  Islam.  We  kept  a  calm  face  under  insults,  even 
made  concessions,  as  one  gives  a  rabid  dog  a  stick 
to  worry."  For  a  moment  the  worn  face  resumed 
its  light  of  humour.  "  But  now  the  war  has 
come  .  .  .  Those  rash  fanatics!  .  .  ." 

There  rose  a  murmur  in  the  room. 

"  The  Grand  Mufti  comes,"  announced  Murjanah 
Khanum. 

"  Forgive  me,  dear  madame.  It  is  an  old  and 
cherished  friend,"  the  dying  man  suspired,  with  a 
faint  smile.  "  Adieu  !  Adieu !  " 

And  Barakah,  with  all  the  women  save  Murjanah 
Khanum,  hurried  out  into  the  passage.  At  the  door 
a  tall  and  stately  man  brushed  past  her.  His  head 
was  so  erect  beneath  the  massive  turban,  his  long 
robe  fell  so  straight  from  well-squared  shoulders, 
that  it  astonished  her  to  see  his  beard  as  white  as 
snow.  He  passed  into  the  room.  The  door  was 
shut. 

A  minute  later,  Murjanah  Khanum  uttered  a  loud 


VEILED  WOMEN  259 

cry;  the  Mufti  came  forth  sobbing,  with  head 
bowed ;  the  black-cowled  women  scurried  shrieking  to 
the  death-room,  where  they  instantly  began  the  dance 
of  death.  They  leapt  and  pirouetted,  waving  arms 
above  their  heads,  with  frenzied  cries.  Barakah 
was  gazing  horror-stricken  at  the  sight,  when  some 
one  took  her  hand  and  whispered,  "  Come  away !  " 

It  was  Murjanah. 

"  I  cannot  bear  these  customs,"  she  confessed. 
•'  The  women  of  the  country  keep  them  in  defiance 
of  religion.  It  is  useless  to  protest;  one  has  to 
suffer.  I  am  very  tired,  my  dear;  for  I  have  not 
slept  for  many  nights.  Indeed,  my  weariness  and 
grief  are  such  that  I  can  hardly  look  for  rest  save 
in  the  grave." 

Barakah  took  coffee  in  Murjanah's  room,  and 
tried  to  comfort  her.  She  too  was  sad.  But  her 
despair  was  turned  to  joy  when  that  same  day 
Muhammad  rushed  into  her  arms.  He  had  been 
called  by  telegram.  She  held  him  back  from  her 
and  gazed  at  him  until  he  blushed  and  hung  his 
head.  The  uniform,  the  high-crowned  fez,  the 
sword,  the  snowy  gloves,  embellished  him.  When 
she  had  gazed  her  fill,  she  made  him  tell  her  of  the 
camp,  his  friends,  his  duties;  and,  started  on  that 
theme,  he  talked  for  hours. 

"  If  only  I  could  be  transferred  to  the  Canal !  "  he 
sighed.  "  That  is  the  real  centre  of  the  war.  The 
fighting  where  I  am  is  empty  show,  and  I  am  kept 
from  taking  part  in  it.  Day  after  day,  I  have  to 


260  VEILED  WOMEN 

teach  recruits,  dull  fellahin,  who  know  not  right 
from  left.  Instruction  seems  to  make  them  stupider. 
I  beat  and  beat  them,  till  my  arm  aches.  By  my 
sword  and  valour,  I  could  often  kill  them!  Think, 
O  my  mother !  —  El  Islam  is  menaced,  armed  infidels 
have  set  foot  in  our  land,  and  these  men,  Muslims, 
will  not  learn  their  exercises !  " 

His  mother  laughed  at  his  impetuosity.  She  told 
his  grandfather's  last  words  to  her,  and  how  he 
feared  the  English  would  take  hold  of  Egypt. 

"  There  is  no  fear  of  that,  in  sh' Allah !  "  cried 
Muhammad.  "  Our  faithful  host  will  sweep  them 
off  like  fleas.  I  wish  I  had  been  there  to  reassure 
the  dear  one.  May  Our  Lord  have  mercy  on  him !  " 

The  funeral  of  Muhammad  Pasha  Salih  was 
among  the  greatest  ever  known,  although  the  town 
was  empty.  The  harassed  population  flocked  to  pay 
respect  to  one  who  had  denounced  Arabi  —  a  demon- 
stration which  could  not  be  punished  since  sons  of 
the  dead  man  —  nay,  half  his  family  —  acclaimed 
the  tyrant.  In  the  front  of  the  procession  were  led 
sheep  and  bullocks  to  be  slaughtered  at  the  tomb, 
their  meat  distributed  among  the  needy  in  the  name 
of  the  deceased.  Then  came  hired  chanters  of  the 
Coran,  then  half  the  male  inhabitants  of  Cairo,  walk- 
ing, flanked  by  two  thin  lines  of  soldiers,  then  the 
male  relations,  then  a  choir  of  boys  shrieking  an  ode 
in  honour  of  the  Prophet.  Immediately  behind  these 
moved  the  lidless  coffin,  carried  on  men's  shoulders, 


VEILED  WOMEN  f  61 

with  its  coloured  pall,  and  then  the  females  of  the 
family  in  shuttered  carriages.  A  crowd  of  black- 
cowled  women  of  the  city,  whose  wailing  sounded 
bird-like  in  the  open  air,  brought  up  the  rear. 

The  train,  a  mile  long,  wound  out  in  the  blinding 
sunlight  over  the  sandhill  to  the  city  of  the  dead, 
from  which  at  its  approach  the  kites  and  crows  went 
up,  affrighted.  There  ensued  a  period  of  forced 
inaction,  which  to  Barakah  in  the  haramlik  at  the 
mausoleum  seemed  interminable.  The  ceaseless 
chanting  in  the  tomb,  the  wailing  of  the  crowd  out- 
side, attacked  her  nerves.  Muhammad  was  to  leave 
again  that  evening,  and  every  minute  she  was  parted 
from  him  seemed  an  hour.  He  was  kept  upon  the 
men's  side  of  the  tomb;  nor  would  she  see  him  till 
they  reached  the  house  again ;  she  had  first  to  drive 
home  in  the  stuffy  carriage  with  Na'imah  and  two 
of  the  late  Pasha's  daughters.  It  was  maddening. 

In  fact,  she  saw  him  only  for  a  moment,  ere  he 
ran  to  catch  his  train.  She  wept  a  little  at  the  dis- 
appointment, but  his  visit  had  relieved  her  of  a 
weight  of  sorrow.  She  had  only  to  despatch  a  tele- 
gram and  he  would  come  again.  Moreover,  she  was 
now  quite  certain  he  was  not  in  danger. 

When  told  by  Yusuf  that  her  drives  must  cease, 
because  the  horses  had  been  taken  for  the  army,  she 
did  not  complain,  but  hired  a  donkey  when  she  had 
to  pay  a  call;  nor  could  the  prospect  of  a  famine 
frighten  her.  Her  mind  had  rest.  Each  evening 


262  VEILED  WOMEN 

brought  the  news  of  an  Egyptian  victory.  The 
English  would  be  driven  out.  Her  son  was  safe. 
Once  more  she  joked  and  dreamt  with  Umm  ed- 
Dahak. 


CHAPTER    XXXII 

AT  Kafr  ed-Dowar  Muhammad  was  kept  drilling 
conscripts,  relieving  older  officers  who  were  re- 
quired for  actual  fighting.  Almost  every  day  he 
heard  the  boom  of  cannon,  the  stirring  noises  of 
attack  and  skirmish;  and  often  in  his  leisure  mo- 
ments he  would  perch  in  some  high  nook  and  watch 
the  flashes,  the  white  puffs  of  smoke,  dispersed  upon 
the  green  of  level  fields  between  the  seacoast  sand- 
hills and  the  lake  —  a  pretty  sight.  Beyond  the 
plain  of  water  skimmed  by  white-winged  birds  the 
town  of  Alexandria  basked  in  sunlit  haze.  Upon 
the  land-plain  doves  were  wheeling  round  deserted 
villages,  kites  and  vultures  hovered  high  in  air. 
Franks  from  the  seaport  rode  out  in  the  rearward 
of  the  English  troops,  and  from  the  vantage-point  of 
dykes  and  hillocks  watched  the  operations  through 
their  field-glasses.  The  assaults,  as  he  had  told  his 
mother,  were  not  serious ;  mere  "  f antaziyeh  "  the  old 
soldiers  called  them.  The  aim  of  the  assailants  was 
to  keep  a  portion  of  Arabi's  troops  from  joining  the 
main  army  on  the  banks  of  the  Canal,  where  war  was 
being  waged  in  bitter  earnest.  Muhammad  fretted 

o  o 

at  his  dull  employment.  The  atmosphere  of  strife, 
the  bugle-calls,  the  march  of  men,  no  longer  satisfied 

263 


264  VEILED  WOMEN 

him  as  at  first.  He  wished  to  fight,  and  begged  the 
general-in-chief,  who  favoured  him,  being  a  close 
friend  of  his  uncle  Hamdi,  to  move  him  to  some  post 
of  danger.  The  great  one  laughed  and  patted  him 
upon  the  back. 

"  We  cannot  spare  thee  yet  from  the  recruits," 
he  said.  "  That  work  is  useful,  and  it  must  be  done. 
Think,  thou  hast  given  us  a  thousand  soldiers,  none 
like  them  for  rigidity  and  speed  of  motion." 

Muhammad  hated  the  recruits,  who  still  were 
driven  in  by  hundreds  every  day  —  men  past  their 
prime,  and  boys  dragged  from  the  wretched  villages, 
and  active  rogues  caught  hiding  in  some  ditch  or 
patch  of  cane.  The  land  had  been  already  drained ; 
the  dregs  were  called  for.  And  they  were  stupid, 
dazed,  those  fellahin ;  a  flock  of  sheep  has  more  in- 
telligence! Muhammad,  for  whom  soldiering  was  a 
religion  and  every  detail  of  the  drill  had  sanctity, 
was  driven  frantic  by  their  apathy,  their  foolish 
stare.  Dancing  with  fury,  he  reviled  their  mothers 
and  beat  them  with  his  cane  about  the  ears. 

"  By  the  Prophet,  they  are  pigs !  "  he  told  the  son 
of  Ghandur,  who  served  him  in  his  tent  and  hung 
upon  his  every  word.  "  Here  is  El  Islam  in  dan- 
ger; they  are  Muslims;  yet  they  yawn  and  gape  if 
asked  to  hold  a  gun.  Ah !  if  I  had  a  hundred  Turks 
instead  of  them !  " 

The  son  of  Ghandur,  who  to  please  Muhammad 
would,  himself  have  put  his  head  into  a  cannon's 
mouth,  was  horrified  at  the  behaviour  of  the  con- 


VEILED  WOMEN  265 

scripts.  That  they  could  fail  to  see  the  light  of 
inspiration  on  Muhammad's  brow  was  proof  suffi- 
cient of  their  utter  baseness.  For  the  same  reason 
he  despised  the  generals.  Muhammad  was  more 
gifted  for  command  than  they,  and  yet  they  kept  him 
ever  at  this  menial  task.  Had  Muhammad  —  or  his 
foster-brother  even  —  owned  the  leadership,  Isken- 
deriyeh  would  long  since  have  fallen,  and  all  the 
English  have  been  pushed  into  the  sea.  He  dared 
to  proffer  this  opinion  to  his  lord  one  evening.  But 
Muhammad  in  his  wisdom  answered: 

"  No,  we  cannot  take  the  town,  for  this  good  rea- 
son, that  a  portion  of  their  fleet,  unseen  from  here, 
commands  it,  and  would  pour  in  shells  to  our  de- 
struction." 

Ali  received  this  information  with  head  bowed  and 
thanks  to  God.  He  prayed  the  Maker  of  the  World 
to  put  some  mind  in  the  recruits  in  order  that  they 
too  might  profit  by  such  high  instruction. 

It  was  usual  at  that  time  for  officers  to  handle 
soldiers  roughly  on  parade,  caning  them  upon  the 
head  and  shoulders,  kicking  them,  and  heaping  on 
them  every  species  of  abuse.  Muhammad  might 
be  called  indulgent  as  commanders  went;  but  he  was 
over-much  in  earnest.  His  outbreaks  lacked  the 
touch  of  humour  which  endears.  Old  soldiers  might 
have  borne  them  with  a  laugh  for  the  sake  of  his 
enthusiasm,  which  was  very  evident. 

But  these  were  men  who  had  been  driven  from 
their  homes  like  cattle,  at  the  goad's  point.  For 


266  VEILED  WOMEN 

days  they  had  been  herded  up  in  pens  in  a  provincial 
town,  and  there  harangued  by  holy  men  and  mad- 
dened by  religious  shouting  till  they  lost  what  little 
wits  remained  to  them  and  hardly  knew  a  true  be- 
liever from  an  infidel.  Arabi  had  proclaimed  the 
golden  age;  yet  here  they  were  imprisoned,  hounded, 
driven,  and  now  subjected  to  the  cuffs  and  insults  of 
a  shameless  boy.  Huddling  together,  they  looked  on 
with  lowered  brows,  too  scared  to  understand  what 
the  young  Turk  was  shouting.  Arabi  had  pro- 
claimed the  Turks  abolished.  Where  was  reason? 
They  gave  forth  inarticulate  harsh  cries  like  fright- 
ened beasts. 

Each  squad  Muhammad  handled  seemed  more 
stupid  than  the  last  —  so  stupid  that  one  early 
morning  an  inspecting  general  advised  him,  laugh- 
ing, to  give  drill  a  rest,  and  take  them  to  the  trenches ; 
they  were  used  to  digging. 

Muhammad  felt  the  order  as  a  whip-cut ;  he  was 
furious.  The  general  despised  his  work  as  an  in- 
structor, whereas  God  knew  what  trouble  he  had 
taken.  It  was  all  their  fault.  In  the  trenches  he 
allowed  them  to  do  nothing  right,  but  shrieked  out 
contradictory  orders  emphasised  by  slashes  of  his 
cane.  Slowly  it  dawned  on  them  that  he  was  quite 
alone;  the  place  was  hidden  by  high  banks  from 
supervision. 

The  daily  pageant  of  attack  was  then  in  progress. 
The  crackle  of  a  volley  came  from  no  great  distance. 
Muhammad  implored  Allah  to  direct  the  bullets  so 


VEILED  WOMEN  267 

as  to  kill  them  all,  for  they  were  worse  than  infidels. 
He  did  not  notice  the  changed  manner  of  their 
breathing,  nor  the  new  fire  which  smouldered  in  their 
eyes. 

At  a  blow  across  the  face,  accompanied  by  fright- 
ful insults,  a  burly  fellow  seized  Muhammad's  wrists 
and  deftly  tripped  him.  The  boy  lay  on  his  back 
bereft  of  speech.  His  captor  knelt  upon  his  belly, 
while  the  others  crowded  round  like  cattle  interested. 
He  could  feel  their  breath. 

"  Hear,  O  my  little  son !  Swear  by  the  Sayyid 
Ahmad  to  be  civil.  It  were  best  for  thee." 

Muhammad,  with  his  pride  undaunted,  answered: 
"  Sinful  hog !  I  swear  to  have  thee  thrashed  with 
the  nailed  whip  and  then  decapitated.  O  Muslimin! 
Do  you  not  know  that  this  is  mutiny,  an  awful 
crime?  " 

"  Then  we  must  finish  him,"  remarked  his  captor, 
with  a  sigh.  "  With  his  own  sword !  Here ! 
Quickly,  while  I  stop  his  screeching." 

The  speaker  passed  his  hand  down  on  Muham- 
mad's mouth,  while  another  drew  the  sword  and 
plunged  it  several  times  into  the  prostrate  form. 
They  watched  until  the  last  convulsions  ceased;  then 
piously  observed :  "  Our  Lord  have  mercy  on  him ! 
There  is  no  power  nor  might  save  in  Allah,  the  High, 
the  Tremendous ! " 

"  By  Allah,  he  could  bite ! "  observed  his  first  as- 
sailant, shaking  blood  from  his  right  hand.  The 
palm  was  bitten  through.  He  stopped  to  bandage 


268  VEILED  WOMEN 

it ;  and  then  they  made  a  litter  with  their  spades  and 
so  conveyed  the  body  back  to  camp  with  wailing. 

"  The  darling  of  our  souls  is  dead,"  they  chanted. 
"  Slain  by  the  infidels,  whom  we  repulsed.  Our 
brother,  Abdul  Cader,  too,  is  wounded  in  the 
hand." 

The  He  was  quite  transparent,  yet  it  passed  un- 
questioned. The  high  commanders  shrugged  and  let 
it  go.  There  were  a  hundred  men  concerned,  with 
Allah  knew  how  many  sympathisers.  They  dreaded 
a  stampede  of  all  the  conscripts  in  the  camp. 

When  Ali,  mad  with  grief,  demanded  justice,  he 
was  told  to  hold  his  tongue.  The  general  was  pro- 
foundly grieved;  he  shed  some  tears,  and  swore  that 
every  honour  should  be  paid  to  the  remains.  A  tele- 
gram was  sent  to  Yusuf  Pasha  announcing  that  his 
son  had  died  a  martyr,  and  that  the  blessed  body  was 
upon  its  way  to  Cairo.  Within  an  hour  of  death  it 
had  been  dressed  for  burial.  It  was  carried  in  a  fine 
procession  to  the  railway,  where  a  special  train  —  a 
locomotive  and  an  open  truck  —  was  waiting.  The 
corpse  was  laid  down  in  the  truck,  and  covered  with 
some  tent-cloth;  and  Ali  sat  beside  it,  while  the  train 
sped  hooting  on  past  empty  villages,  where  only  a 
few  children  played  upon  the  dust-heaps,  a  few 
women  stood  in  doorways  with  hands  shading  eyes, 
past  palm-groves  and  the  fields  of  cotton  and  of 
sugar-cane  until  the  citadel  rose  up  before  him  in 
the  evening  sky. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII 

THE  news  was  broken  gently  to  the  stricken  mother. 
Yusuf,  overcoming  his  own  grief,  came  in  at  noon 
and  sat  an  hour  with  her,  leading  her  up  by  little 
steps  to  view  the  glory  that  their  son  had  died  a 
martyr  for  the  Faith.  When  the  announcement 
came  at  length,  the  fortitude  he  had  assumed  gave 
way.  He  wept  profusely.  But  Barakah  was  tear- 
less. She  sat  rigid,  with  pale  eyes  staring  vaguely 
in  a  face  of  stone.  She  asked  that  Ali,  as  soon  as 
he  arrived,  might  be  sent  in  to  her ;  and  that  was  all. 
Umm  ed-Dahak  came  and  mumbled  on  her  hand, 
moaning  endearments  which  she  did  not  hear.  Then 
Ali  was  announced.  At  the  same  instant  dreadful 
wailing  filled  the  house.  She  drew  her  head-veil 
round  her  face  (the  movement  had  become  instinc- 
tive) when  he  fell  before  her,  pouring  forth  his  awful 
story,  concluding  with  the  words :  "  The  funeral 
sets  forth  this  minute,  O  my  lady.  His  body  will  not 
keep  with  all  those  wounds." 

And  then  her  anguish  passed  the  bounds  of  suf- 
fering; she  moved  and  looked  and  spoke,  but  felt  no 
more. 

Her  women,  half  demented,  danced  around  her. 
They  tore  their  flesh  with  finger-nails,  defiled  their 

269 


270  VEILED  WOMEN 

faces,  and  raised  an  endless  chant,  reviewing  all  the 
charms  and  virtues  of  the  dear  one,  his  mother's  love, 
the  blackness  of  the  world,  each  verse  concluding 
with  a  shriek  of  "  O  calamity ! "  It  was  the 
triumph-song  of  death. 

Robbed  of  the  corpse,  the  funeral  over,  they 
thronged  her  chamber,  keeping  up  the  ghastly  round, 
the  death-chant,  in  the  hope  to  give  her  tears.  Her 
petrifaction  filled  them  with  dismay.  To  women 
who  accept  with  rapture  all  life's  chances,  whose 
custom  is  to  celebrate  each  blow  that  strikes  them 
and  magnify  it  as  a  witness  to  the  power  of  God, 
her  stony  apathy  appeared  uncanny.  They  in- 
creased their  efforts,  while  Umm  ed-Dahak  poured 
into  her  ear  a  song  of  memory  designed  to  loose  the 
frozen  fountain  of  despair. 

"  She  was  the  fairest  daughter  of  the  seed  of 
Adam.  See  her  now!  Her  feet,  her  finger-tips 
dropped  perfume.  She  had  the  grace  of  flowers, 
the  voice  of  turtles.  Now  behold  her !  In  a  moment 
blind  and  deaf  and  dumb  and  paralysed.  And  why? 
Alas,  O  thou  who  askest!  it  is  because  the  sunshine 
of  her  life  is  fled.  We  saw  her  follow  his  dead  body 
to  the  grave.  As  the  cow  pursues  the  calf  that  has 
been  reft  from  her,  so  did  she  follow  blindly  with  a 
noise  of  lowing.  She  has  not  even  strength  to  beat 
her  face.  Her  breath  is  painful,  husky  like  the  voice 
of  doves ;  its  sound  is  all  the  sobbing  of  the  childless 
mother.  Say,  O  beloved,  what  is  in  thy  mind?  Dost 
thou  remember  his  tarbush,  his  yellow  slippers,  the 


VEILED  WOMEN  271 

loveliness  of  all  that  touched  his  body,  which  was  per- 
fumed amber?  There  was  a  little  mole  upon  his 
breast  well  known  to  thee.  O  Allah,  waken  memory, 
or  grief  will  slay  her ! " 

Barakah  saw  and  heard  as  in  a  trance.  She 
thought  herself  in  Hell,  bound  fast  and  gagged 
while  devils  taunted  her.  She  was  tortured  by  the 
memory  of  English  winter  evenings,  of  walking  back 
from  church  in  the  long  train  of  orphans,  the  patter 
of  their  feet  resounding  sadly.  That  dreariness  ap- 
peared a  state  of  bliss  compared  with  this  luxurious 
life  enclosed  in  heat.  She  longed  for  a  cold  wind, 
with  rain  in  it.  Remembrance  of  a  garden  under 
sunset  came  to  her;  she  saw  once  more  a  cool  ver- 
andah with  long  windows  open  on  an  English  draw- 
ing-room, and  heard  the  earnest  voice  of  Mrs. 
Cameron  entreating  her  to  stay  and  save  her  soul. 
This  was  God's  punishment.  Her  life  from  then  till 
now  had  been  all  forwardness  and  self-indulgence. 
While  basking  in  it  she  had  been  aware  that  it  was 
baneful.  A  thousand  awful  faces  rose  to  sneer, 
"  We  warned  you ! "  The  glimpses  she  had  had  of 
horrid  depths,  the  scenes  of  bloodshed  and  the  tales 
of  cruelty,  seemed  now  emphatic  warnings  of  this 
end.  She  had  sunk  downward  till  she  had  no  faith 
nor  virtue  more  than  beasts  have.  Her  all  was  in 
her  son,  whom  God  had  killed.  Crushed,  maimed, 
defrauded,  she  was  flung  upon  the  earth,  the  scorn  of 
men  and  angels  and  the  sport  of  fiends. 

As    by    degrees    her    sense    returned   to    her,    she 


272  VEILED  WOMEN 

looked  about  her  with  strange  eyes  and  tried  to 
think.  But  every  effort  was  a  sword  that  pierced 
her  heart.  One  morning,  peering  dully  through 
her  lattice,  she  saw  a  gay  pavilion  in  the  yard,  and 
leading  to  it  rows  of  masts  with  lanterns  hung  be- 
tween. They  were  erected  for  the  meytam,  or  recep- 
tion for  the  dead.  She  had  seen  them  often  when 
she  visited  great  houses;  but  now  her  mind  attached 
no  meaning  to  them.  It  was  two  hours  later,  in  the 
middle  of  the  function,  that  her  sense  returned.  A 
mighty  gust  of  grief,  a  cry  of  "  O  calamity !  "  swept 
through  the  crowd  of  black-clad  women  in  her  great 
reception-room.  It  roused  her  mind.  She  saw,  and 
was  alarmed.  What  was  she  doing?  What  was  all 
this  crowd  of  people?  Were  they  human? 

The  great  saloon  was  full  of  women.  The  ladies 
sat  up  on  the  dais  with  flourished  handkerchiefs, 
beating  their  breasts,  their  faces,  at  each  burst  of 
woe.  Dependants  crouched  upon  the  ground  and 
rocked  incessantly,  with  foaming  lips.  Some  faces 
wore  a  hideous  fixed  grin;  some  mouthed  continu- 
ally. The  hired  performers  stood  and  chanted  with 
obscene  contortions,  or  squatted  on  a  mat  and  wailed 
in  chorus.  The  words  "  O  my  calamity,"  recurring 
in  a  sort  of  running  chant  without  coherence,  shook 
the  assembly  like  a  tempest-blast.  And  all  the  while 
dainties  were  being  handed  round  by  weeping  serv- 
ants, and  accepted  by  the  mourners  as  fresh  cause 
for  grief. 

An  ague  of  intense  repugnance  seized  on  Barakah. 


VEILED  WOMEN  273 

She  felt  that  she  must  fly  from  this  inferno,  must 
keep  the  hope  of  flight  before  her  resolutely,  or  her 
soul  was  lost.  It  was  as  if  a  hostile  hand  com- 
pressed her  throat.  She  struggled,  was  determined 
to  get  free.  Towards  that  end  she  battled  with  in- 
stinctive cunning. 

After  the  meytam,  when  she  seemed  exhausted,  her 
brain,  enamoured  of  this  hope,  was  planning  madly. 

"  Take  heart,  O  moon  of  moons,"  the  servants  told 
her.  "  In  sh' Allah  thou  shalt  bring  forth  sons  in- 
stead of  him." 

She  strove  to  smile. 

Her  resolution  was  to  leave  her  husband  and  her 
little  daughter,  the  comfortable  house,  the  easy  life, 
to  stray  alone  and  homeless,  back  to  Christian  lands. 
There  she  would  enter  some  religious  order,  and 
spend  the  residue  of  life  in  prayer  for  Muslims. 

Every  one  was  kind.  The  tender  sympathy  of 
Yusuf,  though  himself  hard  stricken,  might  well  have 
won  her  heart  had  she  possessed  one.  Her  heart  was 
dead  and  buried  in  the  grave.  The  ladies  and  her 
servants  tried  at  first  to  cheer  her;  but  when  they 
found  their  efforts  useless,  let  her  be.  Only  Umm 
ed-Dahak  remained  with  her  constantly.  Discreet 
as  ever,  she  kept  silence  for  long  hours,  watching 
her  mistress  with  a  doleful  mow.  They  thought  her 
too  depressed  to  take  a  step  unaided,  had  not  the 
least  suspicion  of  her  wish  to  flee.  It  was,  besides, 
a  time  of  national  anxiety,  when  every  one  who  could 


VEILED  WOMEN 

went  out  to  seek  the  news,  and  those  imprisoned 
listened  to  the  noises  of  the  street. 

One  day,  in  the  full  heat  of  noon,  when  men  are 
sleepy,  she  sent  out  the  old  woman  on  an  errand; 
and  went  and  kissed  her  child,  Afifah,  who  was  fast 
asleep.  Then,  having  made  sure  that  the  slave-girls 
were  not  moving,  she  returned  to  her  own  room  and 
donned  a  common  habbarah,  which  she  had  some- 
times worn  when  she  went  out  with  Umm  ed-Dahak. 
From  the  store  of  money  Yusuf  had  entrusted  to  her 
she  took  sufficient  to  defray  her  fare  to  France,  and 
hung  it  in  a  bag  around  her  neck. 

Thus  furnished,  she  stole  out  through  the  selamlik 
hall.  No  eunuch  challenged;  the  doorkeeper  was 
snoring  on  his  couch  within  the  entry.  Beside  him 
lay  the  best  part  of  a  water-melon. 


CHAPTER    XXXIV 

BARAKAH  had  not  made  many  steps  outside  the  house 
before  she  was  completely  lost.  Although  for  six- 
teen years  her  home  had  been  in  Cairo,  she  had  never 
walked  in  the  streets  before.  Which  was  the  way? 
She  could  not  tell,  but  went  on  bravely,  hoping  for 
some  guide.  At  last  she  met  a  donkey-driver  with  a 
pleasant  face.  In  answer  to  her  timid  hail,  he 
smiled  delighted  and  praised  his  Maker  for  the  hon- 
our of  her  patronage.  "  To  the  railway  sta- 
tion," she  enjoined  at  mounting,  and  he  answered 
"  Ready !  " 

Away  they  went,  arousing  echoes  in  the  stony 
alleys,  the  driver  shouting  as  he  ran  beside  the 
ambling  beast.  Barakah  felt  exhilarated  by  the 
change  of  motion,  the  little  spice  of  danger  when 
they  dashed  round  corners,  or  charged  some  group 
of  wayfarers  with  warning  cries.  The  first  stage  of 
her  flight  would  soon  be  over;  and  once  on  board  the 
train,  she  thought,  escape  was  sure. 

The  streets  were  empty  even  for  that  hour. 
Scavenger  dogs  slept  undisturbed  in  every  spot  of 
shade.  The  persons  they  encountered  seemed  to  have 
no  business,  but  stood  about  in  groups  conversing 
glumly.  On  the  wide,  dusty  square  before  the  rail- 

275 


276  VEILED  WOMEN 

way  station  groups  were  many.  A  little  crowd  beset 
the  station  doors.  These  were  all  closed,  to  Bara- 
kah's  amazement.  The  building  looked  deserted. 

"  Ask  when  the  next  train  starts  for  the  sea- 
coast,"  she  ordered  her  attendant,  who  addressed  a 
shout  to  persons  standing  near. 

"  The  sea-coast  ?  Allah  knows !  It  may  be 
never !  "  The  reply  was  shrugged.  "  A  great  fight 
has  taken  place.  The  end  has  come.  The  Eng- 
lish fell  upon  the  camp  at  daybreak  —  yesterday 
or  this  morning,  Allah  knows !  The  rebel  army  was 
dispersed  like  chaff.  The  leader  —  the  arch-traitor 
—  escaped  hither  on  an  engine,  and  is  in  the  town 
now  somewhere,  herding  with  his  kind.  It  is  clearly 
seen  how  foully  he  deceived  us,  seducing  us  from  our 
allegiance  with  the  promise  of  success." 

"  Praise  be  to  Allah  that  his  reign  is  ended,"  said 
another.  "  If  the  English  were  but  true  believers, 
one  would  bless  them." 

"  Nay,  the  tidings  are  not  certain,"  cried  the  third 
with  anguish. 

"  As  certain  as  the  sun  is  hot  upon  my  reins  this 
minute.  I  have  it  from  a  man  who  saw  Arabi.  The 
rascal's  face  was  yellow  as  a  corpse." 

Barakah's  mind  received  no  more  than  the  initial 
statement.  The  way  that  she  had  meant  to  take 
was  closed  against  her. 

"  Whither,  my  lady  ?  "  asked  the  donkey -boy,  with 
willing  smile. 


VEILED  WOMEN  277 

"  Far,  far  away  —  towards  the  sea-coast.  Any- 
where !  " 

"  Ready !  "  he  laughed.  "  It  is  for  thee  to  order. 
By  Allah,  we  will  go  to  Gebel  Caf  if  thou  desire  it." 

He  smote  his  donkey,  and  they  jogged  along  once 
more,  out  through  new  suburbs  to  the  open  fields. 
The  sun  was  an  armed  foe,  the  dust  a  persecutor; 
her  habbarah  and  face-veil  made  a  sheath  of  fire. 
The  donkey-boy  kept  looking  at  her  with  compas- 
sion, smiling  encouragement  whenever  he  could  meet 
her  gaze.  He  thought  her  mad,  and  so  indulged  her 
fancy,  assuring  her  that  it  would  not  take  long  to 
reach  the  sea.  But  when  she  murmured  of  the  heat 
and  wished  to  rest,  he  showed  immense  relief. 

"  That  is  the  best,"  he  cried.  "  Wait  till  I  find 
some  pleasant  shade  for  thee.  See,  yonder  is  a  tree. 
There  thou  shalt  rest  till  the  great  heat  is  past,  and 
then,  at  thy  command,  we  can  resume  the  journey." 

Dismounting  under  leaves,  she  sank  upon  the 
ground  and  wept  despairingly.  The  tears,  which 
bitter  grief  had  failed  to  wring  from  her,  flowed 
freely  for  her  impotence.  Escape  was  hopeless. 
Her  project  now  appeared  the  last  absurdity.  The 
change  of  clothes,  the  change  of  manners,  now  pre- 
sented difficulties  which  she  felt  that  she  would  never 
have  the  strength  to  overcome.  The  donkey-boy's 
consoling  words,  his  friendly  grin,  were  teasing. 
She  sent  him  to  fetch  water  from  a  village  near  at 
hand.  He  came  back  with  a  pitcher  and  two  slabs 
of  bread;  which  so  revived  her  spirit  that  she  once 


278  VEILED  WOMEN 

more     saw    beyond    the    moment    and    conceived    a 
plan. 

She  would  wait  till  nightfall  and  then  seek  the 
city  of  the  dead,  to  die  on  her  son's  grave,  if  Allah 
willed  it.  At  least  she  would  spend  all  the  night 
in  prayer  imploring  Allah's  mercy  for  him  in  the 
name  of  Christ. 

She  had  sat  a  long  while,  cross-legged,  gazing 
straight  before  her,  her  hands  locked  in  her  lap,  when 
a  soft  voice  disturbed  her.  The  donkey-boy  was 
plucking  at  her  sleeve. 

"  The  heat  is  spent,"  he  told  her.  "  Best  be  mov- 
ing !  It  is  back  into  the  city, —  not  so  ?  —  thy  com- 
mand? Much  better  than  to  journey  to  the  sea,  like 
this,  without  provision.  Say,  which  way?" 

Barakah  pointed  a  direction  listlessly.  She  had 
no  wish  to  enter  Cairo  before  dark,  so  chose  a  long 
way  round,  among  the  fields. 

Soon  the  sunset  reddened  all  the  plain,  stretch- 
ing their  shadows  far  before  them  on  the  dyke.  The 
citadel  upon  its  height  was  hotly  flushed  one  minute, 
the  next  ash-grey  and  lifeless  like  a  skull.  It  lived 
in  her  imagination  as  a  monstrous  spider  which  held 
her  with  its  web  and  drew  her  in. 

The  donkey-boy  beside  her  prattled  ceaselessly. 

"  O  lady,  I  will  not  forsake  thee  —  no,  by  the 
Prophet,  never,  till  thy  mind  is  healed.  Do  I  know 
the  cemetery  El  Afifi?  Wallahi!  I  can  guide  thee 
thither.  Not  a  bad  idea ;  for  Allah  comforts  those 
who  visit  the  deceased.  By  the  Sayyid  Ahmad,  thou 


VEILED  WOMEN  379 

art  as  my  mother.  May  God  cut  short  my  life  if  I 
desert  thee  in  thy  present  state." 

The  lad's  support  was  of  some  comfort  to  her. 

In  the  first  blue  of  night,  when  daylight  lingers 
in  the  memory,  they  were  following  a  sandy  road 
towards  the  city,  when  a  noise  as  of  the  sea  arose 
behind  them.  The  donkey-boy  was  first  to  hear  it. 
He  stood  still  and  listened,  holding  up  his  hand.  It 
seemed  approaching  on  the  road  behind  them.  He 
looked  puzzled;  then  suddenly  let  fall  his  hands,  and 
made  a  bound. 

"It  is  the  army !  Come,  O  my  lady !  We  must 
hide  ourselves.  Hold  fast ! "  He  made  the  don- 
key gallop  for  a  hundred  yards,  then  led  it  down 
into  a  patch  of  cane.  Peeping  out  between  the  stems 
they  saw  vague  forms  in  clouds  of  dust  approaching 
on  the  dyke  above.  The  roar  became  the  jangle  of 
accoutrements,  the  roll  of  heavy  carriages  upon  the 
road  and  murmuring  voices. 

Innumerable  ranks  of  horsemen  passed,  dust- 
stained  and  weary,  with  faces  resolutely  strained  to- 
wards Cairo.  Barakah  saw  them  as  the  figures  of 
a  dream.  Their  silhouette  against  the  sky  appeared 
familiar.  The  words  with  which  they  cheered  their 
tired  horses  rang  on  memory. 

"  It  is  the  English,"  whispered  her  companion 
hoarsely. 

"  The  English !  Allah,  help  me ! "  murmured 
Barakah.  Until  that  moment  she  had  lost  remem- 
brance of  the  war. 


CHAPTER    XXXV 

THE  streets  by  night  were  full  of  people,  in  striking 
contrast  with  their  emptiness  at  noon  that  day.  The 
mosques  were  all  alight  inside,  and  from  the  glimpse 
which  Barakah  obtained  through  open  doorways  ap- 
peared crowded. 

She  saw  men  making  towards  them  through  the 
press,  embracing  precious  bundles,  with  the  look  of 
fugitives. 

"  Their  fear  is  of  the  English,"  said  the  donkey- 
boy.  "  Who  knows  what  they  will  do  by  way  of 
punishment  ?  " 

But  the  look  on  all  the  faces  when  a  ray  of  light 
revealed  them,  the  note  of  the  vast  murmur  lapping 
the  whole  city,  was  rather  of  relief  and  comfort 
than  anxiety.  To  hide  away  their  treasures  was  a 
mere  precaution  which  only  madmen  would  neglect 
in  presence  of  a  conquering  host;  but  men  were 
thankful  for  the  coming  of  the  English,  which  meant 
an  end  to  anarchy  and  wild  suspense. 

"  Wallahi,  they  are  warriors,"  one  orator  was  de- 
claiming at  a  street  corner.  "  The  fight  was  far 
away  at  daybreak,  and  now  behold  them  here  among 
us  in  the  citadel.  Wallahi,  they  are  mighty!  They 
smite  hard  —  one  blow  and  all  is  said.  Wallahi, 

£80 


VEILED  WOMEN  281 

they  are  not  of  those  who  loiter.  They  appeared 
among  us  like  a  vision  of  the  rising  night;  they  de- 
manded the  keys  of  our  strong  places  as  of  right 
divine.  The  people  in  the  street  stood  still  and 
gaped  on  them,  rubbing  their  eyes  to  ascertain  that 
they  were  not  asleep.  May  Allah  make  them  merci- 
ful. The  praise  to  Allah !  " 

The  donkey-boy,  who  had  been  looking  at  the 
lady's  eyes  at  frequent  intervals  as  if  in  expectation 
of  a  change  of  purpose,  asked  at  length. 

"  Whither  shall  I  conduct  thee,  O  my  mistress  ? 
Is  it  not  thy  wish  to  return  to  the  house  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  house,"  was  her  reply.  "  Did  I  not 
tell  thee?  To  the  El  Afifi  cemetery!" 

"  Not  by  night !  Hear  reason,  O  my  lady !  "  he 
besought  her.  "  Tell  me  where  thou  dwellest,  that 
I  may  conduct  thee  thither !  " 

"  I  go  to  the  cemetery,  as  I  told  thee.  It  is  nec- 
essary. If  thou  art  weary  of  my  service,  I  will  pay 
thee  and  go  out  alone." 

Barakah's  tone  grew  plaintive,  almost  tearful. 
The  resolution  in  her  words  was  mere  bravado.  She 
knew  that  she  was  utterly  dependent  on  this  friendly 
youth,  whose  company  alone  kept  up  her  courage. 
From  the  moment  of  her  turning  back  she  had  felt 
stupid,  useless,  relying  on  this  boy  to  bring  her  to 
the  cemetery,  where  she  hoped  to  die.  It  seemed  a 
certainty  that  if  she  prayed  her  utmost,  full  as  her 
heart  was,  the  vexed  soul  must  leave  the  body,  and 
the  prayer  by  sheer  brute  force  become  acceptable. 


At  thought  of  being  baulked  of  her  self-sacrifice,  the 
boy's  help  failing,  she  began  to  whimper. 

"  Nay,  dearest  lady,  weep  not ! "  he  entreated. 
"  By  Allah,  thou  shalt  neither  walk  nor  go  alone. 
I  will  conduct  thee  thither;  but  it  may  be  necessary 
that  we  wait  till  morning,  since  the  way  is  lonely 
and  the  haunt  of  ginn.  See  here,  before  us  is  my 
mother's  house.  Deign  to  go  in  and  rest  awhile,  and 
take  refreshment,  while  I  feed  the  donkey.  I  will 
make  inquiries.  If  it  is  possible  to  go  to-night,  I 
swear  to  take  thee.  If  not,  thou  canst  rest  here  un- 
til the  dawn." 

They  had  stopped  before  a  doorway  in  a  narrow 
alley.  He  went  a  little  way  into  the  gloom  and  whis- 
pered : 

"  O  my  mother !  " 

"  Is  it  thou,  Selim?  "  came  back  the  answer. 

"  O  my  mother,  come  at  once !  I  have  a  lady,  a 
great  lady  in  disguise.  She  has  run  mad  through 
grief  in  these  bad  times,  and  wants  to  go  out  to  the 
cemetery.  Receive  her  in  thy  house  a  minute,  feed 
her,  talk  to  calm  her;  while  I  discover  if  the  way  is 
safe." 

"  The  cemetery !  Go  not  thither.  Best  come  in 
and  sleep." 

"  The  lady  is  distraught  with  grief.  I  reverence 
her  like  a  parent.  She  is  absent  from  the  world ; 
she  does  not  hear  us.  I  think  that  she  is  going  to 
the  tombs  to  pray.  It  were  a  good  deed  to  conduct 
her  thither." 


VEILED  WOMEN  383 

"  True,  wallahi !  May  Allah  heal  her  soul,  the 
poor  one!  These  be  dreadful  times!" 

A  woman  came  out  to  the  doorway,  holding  up 
an  earthen  lamp. 

"  Deign  to  enter,  O  my  sweet,"  she  called  seduc- 
tively. 

Selim  assisted  his  employer  to  dismount. 

"  Go  in  and  rest,"  he  whispered.  "  My  mother 
and  my  sister  are  alone  in  there.  Thou  canst  un- 
veil. The  dwellings  of  the  poor  are  all  haramlik. 
In  a  little  while  I  shall  return  and  call  thee  from  with- 
out. I  go  but  to  make  sure  the  ways  are  safe." 

The  room  in  which  she  found  herself  was  small 
and  stuffy.  It  was  lighted  only  by  the  little  lamp 
the  woman  carried.  Barakah  was  glad  to  loose  her 
veil  a  while.  She  refused  the  food,  but  drank  the 
water,  which  the  women  offered,  and  listened  to  their 
cordial  blessings  with  a  sense  of  dreaming.  Her 
prayer  was  that  the  boy  might  not  decide  to  wait  till 
morning.  Desire  to  reach  the  tomb  at  once  ob- 
sorbed  her  life.  Deprived  of  it,  she  would  have  had 
no  further  being.  Her  prayer  now  took  the  Chris- 
tian form,  and  now  the  Muslim;  the  two  religions 
growing  tangled  in  her  tired  mind.  At  length  the 
boy's  voice  sounded: 

"  Deign  to  come,  O  lady.  The  ways  are  thronged, 
they  tell  me,  as  in  Ragab.  To-night  is  not  as  other 
nights,  it  is  well  seen." 

With  praise  to  Allah  she  went  out  once  more. 
But  with  its  object  now  assured,  her  mind  grew  dull. 


284  VEILED  WOMEN 

It  was  as  if  suspense  alone  had  held  it  wakeful.  It 
lost  the  comprehension  of  its  purpose,  regained  it 
with  an  effort,  and  then  let  it  go. 

They  passed  beneath  an  ancient  gateway.  The 
city  was  behind  them.  Still  there  was  no  solitude. 
Groups  of  people  crossed  the  sand  in  all  directions. 
It  was  a  moonless  night.  The  many  lanterns  mov- 
ing in  the  darkness  seemed  reflections  of  the  stars 
which  shone  like  gems  of  many  facets  in  the  silky 
sky.  Barakah  saw  them  both  alike  as  golden  insects 
swarming  in  the  cup  of  a  great  purple  flower.  At 
moments,  her  head  swimming,  she  mistook  the  earth 
for  sky,  and  had  the  sense  of  moving  upside  down. 

"  There  is  the  cemetery,"  said  her  guide.  His 
whisper  seemed  to  her  a  long  way  off.  Nor  did  she 
see  the  city  of  the  dead  till  they  were  in  its  streets, 
which  seemed  mysterious.  The  very  stars  looked 
sinister  above  the  frowning  domes,  from  which  a 
blacker  darkness  seemed  to  emanate.  The  many 
crescents  looked  like  horns  against  the  sky.  Bats 
flitted  past  her;  from  the  distance  came  a  jackal's 
howl.  What  had  she  come  to  do  here?  She  could 
not  remember.  "  To  pray,"  she  told  herself,  but 
that  meant  nothing.  She  strove  with  all  her  might 
to  recollect.  Then  in  a  flash  remembrance  came  to 
her;  it  bore  her  on,  excited,  to  the  mausoleum.  She 
dismounted,  and  then,  upon  the  threshold,  she  for- 
got once  more.  She  entered,  shuddering,  too  dazed 
to  question  why  the  gate  was  left  ajar,  and  turned 
instinctively  towards  the  women's  quarters.  A  step 


VEILED  WOMEN  285 

or  two  and  she  stood  still  in  deadly  terror,  hardly 
venturing  to  breathe.  There  was  a  light  upon  the 
men's  side;  beasts  were  tethered  in  the  court;  she 
heard  a  sound  of  digging  and  men's  voices.  Her 
thought  was,  "  They  expect  me,  and  have  dug  a 
grave."  As  soon  as  fear  would  let  her,  she  fled  back 
to  where  the  guide  was  waiting. 

"  There  are  people.  We  must  fly !  Make 
haste !  "  she  whispered. 

He  helped  her  to  remount,  and  they  retraced  their 
steps.  The  solemn  thoughts  which  had  possessed 
her  mind  gave  place  to  rattle  of  dry  bones  and  imp- 
ish laughter.  A  merry  dance  was  going  on  within 
her  brain,  as  mad  as  could  be,  though  her  senses  were 
quite  clear  —  clearer  than  ever  they  had  been  before, 
she  knew  exultantly.  She  rode  out  from  the  place 
of  tombs  across  the  sandhills  towards  the  city. 

"  Hist ! "  said  her  companion  suddenly,  and 
stopped  the  donkey,  hanging  on  to  its  tail  to  prevent 
braying.  "  There  are  men  without  a  lantern  — 
robbers !  I  hear  voices." 

She  strained  her  ears  in  the  direction  pointed. 

"  Am  I  not  acknowledged  sheykh  of  all  the 
thieves?  "  some  unseen  man  amid  the  darkness  was 
exclaiming  angrily.  "  Was  it  not  I  alone  who  had 
the  wisdom  to  foresee  that  every  man  would  seek  to 
hide  his  wealth  this  night  ?  It  is  light  work  for  you ; 
they  fly  like  conies  at  a  shout,  leaving  their  treas- 
ure, and  the  light  for  you  to  count  it.  Why  then 
grumble  that  I  sit  here  and  receive  the  gold?  Some 


286  VEILED  WOMEN 

one  must  hold  it  for  fair  distribution.  Say,  have  I 
ever  wronged  a  man  among  you  of  one  small  piaster? 
See,  yonder  comes  another  lantern.  Go,  do  your 
work,  and  say  no  more  to  me." 

"Stay,  O  my  lady!  For  the  love  of  Allah," 
moaned  Selim.  "  They  are  robbers,  murderers,  the 
worst  of  ruffians." 

But  Barakah  had  urged  the  donkey  forward;  the 
laughter  in  her  brain  deriding  fear.  She  headed 
straight  towards  the  voices,  waving  her  left  arm  and 
shouting  madly.  She  heard  a  shriek  of  "  The 
afritah !  Help,  O  Allah !  "  and  saw  men  running  as 
if  fiends  pursued  them.  Her  next  sensation  was  a 
dive  into  the  sand.  The  ass  had  stumbled.  Selim 
assisted  her  to  rise,  and  murmured  reassuring  words 
which  made  her  cry. 

Remembrance  of  her  little  daughter  overcame  her. 
She  had  prayed  to  Christ  to  guard  her  child  before 
she  recollected  that  the  prayer  was  useless.  There 
was  no  mercy  for  disciples  of  the  Arab  prophet.  She 
reeled  and  would  have  fallen  had  not  Selim  caught 
her.  As  it  was,  she  sank  upon  the  ground,  refusing 
to  remount  or  take  another  step. 

The  boy,  resigned,  sat  down  beside  her,  holding 
his  donkey  by  the  halter-rope.  They  were  upon 
the  trodden  plain  below  the  citadel.  Lying  upon 
her  back,  she  saw  a  blackness  rising  till  it  took  the 
shape  of  bastions,  walls,  towers,  surmounted  by  a 
dome  and  needle-pointed  minarets.  Gazing  at  this 
and  at  the  stars  she  fell  asleep. 


VEILED  WOMEN  287 

When  she  awoke  it  was  still  night.  The  donkey- 
boy  was  snoring  on  the  ground  hard  by.  A  chill 
and  a  strange  silence  hung  about  her.  The  stars 
above  were  throbbing  violently  as  if  about  to  burst  in 
showers  of  light.  Her  grief  returned  on  her  like  an 
ague.  "  O  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me !  "  she  ex- 
claimed, and  groaned  aloud. 

"  What  ails  thee,  O  my  sister  ?  "  said  a  voice  so 
sweet,  so  unexpected  in  its  nearness,  that  it  stopped 
her  heart. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI 

FROM  the  shadow  of  a  mass  of  houses  close  at  hand 
emerged  the  figure  of  a  man  in  flowing  robes,  and 
glided  towards  her.  For  the  moment  she  supposed 
it  was  an  angel.  Again  the  sweet  voice  thrilled  her, 
asking : 

"  What  ails  thee,  O  my  sister?  Art  thou 
wounded?  May  Allah  heal  and  comfort  thee  in  thy 
distress ! " 

She  knew  him  then  and  felt  a  sudden  craving. 

"  O  Tahir,  sing  to  me !  "  she  moaned.  "  Thy 
voice  is  healing.  Canst  thou  still  sing  when  thy  de- 
light is  dead?" 

"  Who  art  thou,  lady  ?  "     He  peered  hard  at  her. 

"  I  am  the  English  wife  of  Yusuf  Pasha." 

"  True ;  it  is  true,"  he  murmured,  recollecting. 
"  I  heard  that  she  had  fled  the  house  distraught  with 
grief.  .  .  .  Hearken,  O  my  lady,  I  am  waiting  here 
for  the  muezzin  of  the  Sultan  Hasan  mosque,  to  ask 
his  leave  to  call  the  Dawn  instead  of  him.  Victori- 
ous infidels  are  on  the  height  above  us;  and  no  man 
can  predict  the  future  of  this  land.  It  is  a  black  day 
for  the  Faith,  may  Allah  help  us!  Our  souls  are 
humbled,  weeping  tears  of  blood.  I  lay  upon  my 
bed,  but  could  not  sleep  for  thinking  on  this  grief. 

288 


VEILED  WOMEN  289 

My  heart  and  brain  were  full  of  singing,  sad  and 
noble.  I  felt  the  need  to  sing  to  God  alone.  And  I 
vowed  within  my  soul  that  none  but  Tahir  should 
call  to  prayer  this  dawn  at  yonder  mosque  within 
the  shadow  of  the  citadel  which  holds  our  shame. 
Now  till  my  vow  is  paid  I  cannot  guide  thee.  I  beg 
thee  enter  the  muezzin's  house  and  rest  till  my  re- 
turn. .  .  .  Ah,  here  he  comes." 

The  thud  as  of  a  wooden  bolt  withdrawn,  the  creak 
of  a  door  opening  reached  their  ears.  The  singer 
ran  in  the  direction  of  the  sound.  She  heard  him 
coaxing  the  muezzin,  who  replied  upon  a  yawn: 

"  With  honour  and  with  reverence,  O  Tahir !  It 
is  thine  to  order." 

They  had  both  drawn  near  to  Barakah,  entreating 
her  to  go  indoors  and  rest,  when  the  donkey-boy, 
aroused  at  last,  rushed  on  them  with  stick  raised. 

"  Where  is  my  lady  ?  "  he  cried  out  dementedly . 
"  For  the  love  of  Allah,  harm  her  not ;  her  mind  is 
troubled!" 

They  had  some  ado  to  reassure  the  lad,  who  was 
but  half-awake.  Tahir  renewed  his  prayer  to  Bar- 
akah to  enter  the  muezzin's  house  without  delay. 
She  cried  to  be  allowed  to  wait  and  hear  his  singing. 

"  Well,  stay  with  her,  O  Mustafa !  Bring  cush- 
ions out!  And  thou,  O  best  of  donkey-drivers,  seek 
the  house  of  Yusuf  Pasha,  inquire  for  one  Ghandur, 
and  bring  him  hither !  " 

The  boy  bestrode  his  ass  and  disappeared  into  the 
darkness ;  the  singer  strode  off ,  eager  to  perform  his 


290  VEILED  WOMEN 

vow.  The  muezzin  fetched  some  cushions  from  his 
house,  and  led  the  lady  through  the  gloom  until  the 
minaret  of  Sultan  Hasan  loomed  before  them,  and 
Barakah  could  distinguish  its  projecting  gallery. 
Then  he  spread  the  cushions  as  a  couch,  himself  sub- 
siding on  the  ground  behind  her. 

Barakah  waited  for  what  seemed  long  hours,  so 
great  was  her  impatience,  like  the  sharpest  hunger. 
Then,  suddenly,  when  she  had  almost  ceased  to  hope, 
a  high,  sweet  note,  sustained  most  wonderfully,  filled 
her  ear.  It  caused  a  parting  of  the  lips,  a  melting 
rapture.  It  broke  in  a  cascade  of  melody.  Then 
came  the  long  sweet  note  again,  not  held  this  time, 
but  uttered  often  with  a  sobbed  insistence.  And  then 
the  song  soared  up  to  heights  of  praise,  or  hovered 
over  depths  of  sorrow;  she  was  lost  in  it.  Uprising 
from  the  fount  of  hope  in  sadness,  it  soared  to  cer- 
tainty of  endless  joy.  The  sound  was  no  made  mu- 
sic, but  a  soul  poured  forth  in  glorious  melody,  as 
spontaneous  and  unerring  as  the  song  of  birds.  The 
greatest  singer  in  the  world  stood  there  unseen  in  the 
suspended  gallery,  and  sang  his  heart  out  to  the 
praise  of  the  Creator,  watching  the  dawn's  first 
gleam  above  the  eastern  hill. 

On  Barakah  the  song  fell  like  a  voice  from  heaven. 
She  beheld  great  light.  Her  grief,  her  terrors,  be- 
came natural  shadows.  There  was  one  God  for 
Christian  and  for  Muslim.  Beyond  the  striving  and 
the  hatred  waited  peace  and  love. 

The  professional  muezzin  on   the  ground  behind 


VEILED  WOMEN  291 

her  was  rocking  with  enjoyment,  gasping,  sobbing: 
"  Enough,  O  Tahir !  Of  thy  kindness,  stop ! 
Wouldst  kill  me  quite?  I  faint,  expire!  It  is  too 
much  of  rapture!  See  me  die!  Praise  be  to  Allah 
for  the  faith  of  El  Islam.  Praise  to  the  benign 
Creator  who  has  vouchsafed  a  voice  to  creatures  for 
His  glory ! " 

Another  whispered :  "  That  is  no  man's  song,  but 
the  song  of  Israfil.  Surely  the  last  day  is  dawning. 
Praise  to  Allah ! "  And  yet  another  murmured : 
"  Praise  to  Him  who  sleepeth  not  nor  dieth,  the 
Merciful,  the  Compassionate,  the  Light  of  Lights, 
the  Living  King !  " 

Selim  the  donkey-boy  had  come  up  with  Ghandur. 
They  spoke  no  word  to  Barakah  until  the  last  note 
died.  By  then  the  pallor  of  the  dawn  shone  on  them 
faintly,  showing  the  look  of  sadness  which  succeeds 
enchantment.  Ghandur  then  came  and  kissed  the 
hand  of  Barakah,  begging  her  of  her  kindness  to  re- 
turn with  him. 

He  and  Selim  together  lifted  her  on  to  the  donkey. 

As  they  left  the  square  the  English  bugles  sounded 
on  the  height  above. 


CHAPTER    XXXVII 

QUICKLY  the  daylight  spread  and  filled  the  streets; 
while  overhead  successive  darts  of  light  pierced  the 
incumbent  darkness  and  dispelled  it,  till  the  sun's 
first  ray  reddened  the  minarets  and  plunged  the 
streets  in  azure  shade.  Men  came  out  from  their 
doorways  as  from  tombs,  and  went  about  their  busi- 
ness listlessly.  Among  the  lower  classes  it  was  quite 
expected  that  the  English  would  take  vengeance  on 
the  town  that  day.  The  people  did  not  care ;  they 
were  in  Allah's  hands,  and  gave  Him  thanks  because 
the  war  was  ended. 

For  Barakah  the  city  wore  its  usual  air;  the  only 
wretched  figure  was  her  own.  She  was  being  led 
back  to  a  life  which  had  become  intolerable.  After 
her  tragic  flight  of  yesterday,  how  ignominious  was 
this  meek  return !  Ghandur,  beside  her,  talked  of 
the  extreme  anxiety  in  which  her  flight  had  plunged 
the  Pasha's  family. 

"  O  my  lady,  how  hadst  thou  the  heart  to  cause 
us  such  despair?  Think  of  it!  One  like  thee,  alone 
and  in  the  streets  at  such  a  time,  when  all  authority 
is  an  abeyance,  and  the  English  host  may  come  at 
any  moment  with  the  lust  of  conquerors!  A  hun- 

292 


VEILED  WOMEN  293 

dred  men  were  searching  for  thee  through  the  night. 
My  lord  the  Pasha  thought  that  grief  might  lead 
thee  to  the  place  of  tombs,  and  he  himself  went 
thither  with  the  slaves  enjoined  to  hide  our  valuables. 
Praise  be  to  Allah,  thou  art  found  at  last!  Take 
comfort,  O  my  lady!  Often  and  often  have  I 
grieved  for  thee,  alone  among  us !  And  when  our 
great  calamity  befell  —  alas,  that  son  of  mine  should 
bear  such  evil  tidings !  —  I  prayed  to  Allah  to  re- 
veal to  thee  His  boundless  mercy.  For  it  has  no 
limits.  For  all  who  suffer  in  this  world  He  will  re- 
dress the  balance.  Even  the  unhorned  cattle,  O  my 
lady!  It  is  written." 

Barakah  heard  these  consolations  as  a  dreary  mur- 
mur. 

"  I  am  taking  thee  to  the  late  Pasha's  house,  to 
the  great  lady,"  he  informed  her.  "  My  lord  con- 
siders it  will  be  less  sad  for  thee." 

The  great  lady  meant  no  other  than  Murja- 
nah  Khanum.  Recalling  the  authority  Murjanah 
wielded,  Barakah  imagined  she  was  being  led  to  pun- 
ishment. 

Two  eunuchs  came  forth,  bowing,  crying,  "  Praise 
to  Allah !  "  They  helped  her  to  dismount,  and  both 
supported  her.  A  minute  later  she  had  passed  the 
harim  screen.  Her  brief  excursion  in  the  world  was 
ended.  She  was  once  more  caged. 

Imagining  her  crime  to  be  as  great  as  that  of 
Christian  nun  in  breaking  convent,  and  knowing  that 
Murjanah  Khanum  could  be  ruthless,  she  expected 


VEILED  WOMEN 

torture ;  instead  of  which  she  was  caressed  and  put  to 
bed. 

She  had  her  lodging  in  Murjanah's  rooms,  was 
dosed  by  Fitnah,  comforted  by  Leylah  Khanum. 
The  younger  ladies  came  as  visitors  and  talked  to 
cheer  her.  Old  Umm  ed-Dahak,  not  to  be  excluded, 
crouched  by  her  bed  and  crooned  as  to  an  infant. 

"  Why  are  you  all  so  kind  to  me  ?  "  she  asked  one 
day.  "  I  tried  to  flee,  I  tell  you,  to  escape  to  Eu- 
rope —  yet  you  pet  me !  " 

"  All  things  are  pardoned  to  great  grief,"  replied 
Murj  anah.  "  It  was  not  thy  fault,  O  poor  one ! 
Would  to  Allah  I  could  show  thee  what  I  see  more 
clearly  than  I  see  thee  in  this  room  —  the  power  of 
God,  His  mercy  all  around  us.  Fain  would  I  hear 
thee  give  Him  praise  for  thy  misfortune.  He  sees 
and  knows ;  we  fancy ;  it  is  weak  to  strive.  Think, 
O  my  fawn,  my  lily,  thou  hast  still  one  child;  thou 
hadst  thy  boy  for  thy  delight  for  fifteen  years. 
More  fortunate  than  I  who  lost  all  mine  in  infancy! 
What  peace  can  come  to  woman  in  thy  case  who  does 
not  offer  up  her  will  to  God?  The  men  have  prom- 
ise of  a  certain  paradise;  we  have  no  certitude  of 
what  awaits  us.  Yet  we  are  not  dejected,  for  we 
know  God's  mercy,  and  leave  the  future  gladly  in 
His  hands.  We  women  are  not  bargainers,  we  serve 
for  love;  and  the  mercy  of  the  Highest  cannot  fail. 
Thou  hast  been  brought  up  otherwise  to  prouder 
thoughts.  Humble  thy  soul  if  thou  wouldst  find  re- 
lief." 


VEILED  WOMEN  295 

"I  proud?"  cried  Barakah.  "Thou,  the  proud- 
est woman  I  have  ever  known,  canst  call  me  so?  I 
am  not  as  thou  art  —  strong  and  dauntless,  cruel  in 
thy  resignation.  I  am  feeble  and  afraid." 

"  May  Allah  strengthen  thee  and  drive  out  fear ! " 

Barakah  had  lost  the  vision  which  had  come  from 
Tahir's  singing  —  a  vision  which  ignored  divergences 
of  race  and  custom.  Without  her  son  the  harim  life 
was  senseless ;  she  held  the  Muslim  faith  in  secret 
dread;  and  longed  for  sentimental  Christian  people. 
Yusuf,  her  husband,  proved  the  soul  of  kindness,  yet 
she  had  almost  hated  him  in  her  revolt  from  all  his 
race. 

One  day  he  told  the  ladies  in  her  presence : 

"  The  English  are  not  bad.  They  take  wise 
measures  for  the  land's  redemption.  They  have 
asked  me  to  take  office,  and  I  have  a  mind  to  do  so." 

It  was  the  first  time  she  had  heard  the  English 
mentioned  since  her  reimprisonment.  In  fact,  the 
Turkish  pride  had  suffered  cruelly  from  this  intru- 
sion of  a  European  power,  the  more  so  that  the 
natives  of  the  land  acclaimed  it.  Though  the  Eng- 
lish had  restored  their  party  in  the  State,  the  Turks 
in  Egypt  gnawed  their  lips  and  could  not  speak  of 
them. 

A  new  way  of  escape  appeared  to  Barakah.  She 
could  obtain  an  audience  of  the  English  rulers  and 
announce  her  longing  to  return  to  Christianity. 
She  pined  for  the  ideals  of  Christian  lands,  the  in- 
dependent life  of  women,  and  their  varied  interests. 


296  VEILED  WOMEN 

Here  she  had  lost  her  value,  having  lost  her  son. 
She  would  soon  be  an  old  woman,  a  mere  worn-out 
animal. 

Directly  rhe  conceived  this  plan,  she  grew  more 
cheerful,  and  even  felt  some  kindness  for  the  harim 
walls.  While  making  her  endeavour  to  find  out  from 
Yusuf  the  names  of  Englishmen  of  influence,  their 
character  and  reputation,  she  wanted  to  make  cer- 
tain he  would  be  consoled. 

"  Light  of  my  eyes,"  she  whispered,  nestling  to 
him,  "  I  have  quite  outgrown  my  foolish  prejudice. 
I  beg  thee  now  to  wed  another  wife.  The  son  I 
bore  to  thee  is  dead,  and  I  grow  old." 

"  Wallahi,  thou  art  still  delicious,"  he  replied  gal- 
lantly ;  but  all  the  same  he  thanked  her,  seeming  much 
relieved. 

Perceiving  that  the  anguish  of  her  grief  was  past, 
the  ladies  let  her  go  to  her  own  house. 

"  Remember  my  advice,"  said  old  Murjanah  in 
farewell.  "  Behold,  my  eyes  grow  dim,  my  days  are 
numbered.  I  speak  not  frivolously  like  the  young. 
Give  up  thy  will.  That  is  to  islam  truly.  May 
Allah  grant  thee  resignation,  which  is  strength." 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII 

SHE  had  not  been  in  her  own  house  a  day,  before 
she  said  to  Umm  ed-Dahak: 

"  Wilt  thou  do  me  a  great  service  ?  " 

"  Wallahi,  that  will  I !  Even  —  saving  thy  pres- 
ence —  one  most  sinful !  " 

"  And  canst  thou  keep  a  secret  from  the  seed  of 
Adam?" 

"  Not  only  that,  but  from  the  walls  and  air." 

"  I  want  a  letter  carried  to  a  great  one  of  the 
English." 

"  I  seek  refuge  in  Allah !  "  gasped  the  old  woman, 
grinning  widely.  "  Knowest  thou  it  is  a  crime  un- 
heard of  that  thou  askest  of  me?  Fie  upon  thee! 
Wallahi,  if  I  did  my  duty  I  should  leave  thee 
straightway !  " 

But  far  from  flying  from  her  mistress  she  came 
nearer.  Her  wrinkles  ran  to  smiles;  her  old  eyes 
twinkled. 

"  Come,  let  us  reason !  "  she  remarked,  as  she  sat 
down,  and,  fingering  her  lady's  hand,  began  the  ar- 
gument. 

"  If  thou  desirest  recreation  of  a  shameful  kind, 
let  me  discover  some  devout  believer.  Thus  the  sin 
is  less.  Or  better  still,  approach  thy  husband,  tell 

297 


298  VEILED  WOMEN 

him  thou  art  weary,  implore  him  of  his  mercy  to  re- 
lease thee,  with  a  portion  of  thy  dowry.  No  man 
would  refuse  the  offer  after  years  of  marriage.  Then 
I  could  find  thee  a  good  Muslim,  for  diversion.  But 
a  Frank  —  an  unbeliever !  Ask  me  not !  It  is  too 
horrible!" 

"  By  Allah,  my  desire  is  not  the  thing  thou  think- 
est ! "  Barakah  made  answer  gaily.  "  This  Eng- 
lishman is  one  I  knew  in  childhood.  I  would  speak 
with  him.  The  matter  is  no  other  than  my  lord's 
advancement,  though  if  he  knew  I  meddled  he  would 
kill  me!" 

"  Swear  to  that !  But  swear  to  that !  "  cried  Umm 
ed-Dahak,  much  excited,  "  and  I  can  do  thy  errand 
without  sin.  But  if  thy  mind  is  for  a  Frank,  I 
could  unearth  thee  Muslims  of  that  race;  though 
most  of  them  are  idiotic  from  hashish." 

"  My  errand  is  to  this  one  only ! " 

"  Good,  I  go." 

The  lady  clapped  her  hands  and  called  for  writing 
things.  The  letter  taxed  her  mind  for  hours ;  the 
fitting  phrase,  the  correct  tone,  eluding  one  who  for 
so  many  years  had  penned  no  word  of  English.  At 
last  it  was  completed.  She  implored  the  great  of- 
ficial, of  his  mercy,  his  great  kindness,  to  receive  an 
English  lady,  long  immured  in  the  harim,  where  she 
had  suffered  greatly.  She  wished  to  make  a  most 
important  statement  (this  she  underlined)  and  begged 
him  to  secure  the  utmost  secrecy.  She  would  not 
write  her  name  for  fear  the  letter  should  be  inter- 


VEILED  WOMEN  299 

cepted,  but  would  reveal  it  to  him  with  the  other 
matter  when  they  met.  The  document,  enveloped 
and  sealed  down,  was  put  into  the  hands  of  Umm 
ed-Dahak.  After  two  hours,  she  brought  back  the 
answer,  "  To-morrow  at  the  fourth  hour,"  given  her 
by  word  of  mouth.  She  had  not  seen  the  English- 
man himself. 

"  Wallahi,  we  will  make  thee  beautiful,"  she 
chuckled. 

Then  Barak  ah  reviewed  her  prison  with  affection. 
She  went  from  room  to  room,  observing  for  remem- 
brance. In  one,  the  slave-girls  crouched  round  an 
old  hag  who  told  a  story.  The  light  which  fell  like 
powder  from  the  lattice  singled  out  their  teeth  and 
eyeballs,  and  woke  a  blue  sheen  in  the  copper  vessels 
round  the  wall.  In  another,  the  child  Afifah  stood 
up  on  the  seat  beside  the  lattice,  feeding  pigeons; 
the  wife  of  Ghandur,  standing  by,  supported  her. 
A  little  wicket  in  the  tracery  was  open. 

"  H'm-h'm-h'm-h'm ! "  Afifah  gave  the  pigeon- 
call,  and  held  out  crumbs.  A  fluttering  cloud  of 
white  and  iridescent  down,  pink,  shell-like  claws,  and 
avid  beaks  and  eyes,  beset  the  lattice  from  without, 
its  shadow  watering  the  child's  delighted  face. 

Barakah  retired  without  disturbing  them.  She 
had  a  hankering  to  take  the  little  girl  with  her. 
But  no,  Afifah  was  a  child  of  El  Islam.  Like  all  the 
rest,  she  would  condemn  and  curse  her  mother. 

Then  visitors  arrived  —  Gulbeyzah  and  Bedr-ul- 
Budur  —  and  Barakah  waxed  sentimental  in  her 


300  VEILED  WOMEN 

talk  with  them,  recalling  all  the  pleasant  hours  which 
they  had  spent  together.  Both  were  now  grown 
obese  and  double-chinned.  Nothing  remained  of  the 
resplendent  beauty  which  had  marked  their  girlhood 
save  the  eyes,  which  made  them  still  attractive  when 
they  wore  the  face-veil.  She  pitied  them,  with 
anguish  for  herself;  and  kissed  them  fondly  when 
they  rose  to  go. 

Then  Yusuf  came  to  spend  an  hour  with  her.  She 
thanked  him  with  sincere  emotion  for  his  never  fail- 
ing kindness  to  her  during  all  those  years. 

"  It  is  nothing  but  thy  due,"  he  answered,  greatly 
touched.  "  Thou  art  alone  among  us,  and  my  cher- 
ished wife." 

That  night  the  very  howling  of  the  street-dogs 
sounded  sweet;  the  starlight  at  her  lattice  seemed  a 
humble  friend.  Her  heart  bled  for  the  parting  which 
was  very  near.  For  not  a  doubt  existed  in  her  mind 
but  that  the  English,  once  informed  of  her  desire 
for  Christianity,  would  snatch  her  from  the  Muslims 
with  a  mighty  hand.  The  power  was  theirs ;  they 
governed  Egypt;  and  she  knew  from  her  remem- 
brance that  they  were  fanatical.  They  would  wel- 
come her  conversion,  and  defend  her. 

In  the  morning  Umm  ed-Dahak  bubbled  over  with 
excitement.  She  accompanied  her  lady  to  the  bath, 
and  bade  the  bath  attendant  take  all  measures  to 
enhance  her  beauty.  She  assured  her  mistress  in  an 
eager  whisper: 


VEILED  WOMEN  301 

"  Trust  Umm  ed-Dahak,  I  have  managed  every- 
thing." 

She  had  given  orders  in  her  lady's  name  that  the 
harim  carriage  and  a  eunuch  should  be  ready  at  a 
certain  hour.  She  and  Barakah  were  driven  to  a 
shop  of  good  repute,  famed  for  its  stock  of  Prankish 
boots  and  gloves,  of  which  the  harim  ladies  were  en- 
amoured as  showing  off  their  pretty  hands  and  feet. 

"  Our  business  here  may  take  some  time  —  an 
hour,  perhaps,"  she  told  the  eunuch,  who  took  po- 
sition sentry-wise  beside  the  entrance.  The  shop 
possessed  two  doors.  Making  a  trifling  purchase, 
they  went  out  unnoticed,  and  found  themselves  within 
a  stone's  throw  of  the  public  office  which  the  Eng- 
lish ruler  had  appointed  for  the  interview. 

The  street  in  blazing  sunlight  was  flowing  with  a 
many-coloured  crowd,  which  kept  up  such  a  jabber 
that  Barakah  could  not  think  clearly.  The  scene 
she  had  rehearsed  appeared  ridiculous.  Seized  with 
panic,  she  was  anxious  to  turn  back;  but  Umm  ed- 
Dahak  at  her  elbow  whispered  courage.  In  a  min- 
ute she  had  entered  a  great  doorway  leading  to  a 
wide  stone  hall,  where  soldiers  lounged.  One  of  them 
came  forward  at  a  beck  from  Umm  ed-Dahak.  Then 
the  old  woman  went  and  squatted  on  the  doorstep, 
and  Barakah,  half  dead  with  terror,  was  led  on  alone. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX 

"  You  asked  for  a  private  interview.  It  is  a  little 
unusual,  I  believe,  in  this  country;  but  I  granted 
your  request  upon  the  understanding  that  you  have 
important  secrets  to  communicate,  as  stated  in  your 
letter.  Let  me  see  —  ah,  here  it  is !  " 

The  English  official  —  a  broad-shouldered,  fresh- 
complexioned  man  inclined  to  baldness  —  having 
studied  her  appearance  through  a  monocle,  let  fall 
that  weapon  and,  disturbing  papers  on  his  desk,  pro- 
duced the  letter  she  had  written  to  him,  which  looked 
somehow  pitiful. 

"  I  am  an  English  lady.  My  name  is  Mary 
Smith.  I  did  a  very  wicked  thing.  I  turned  Ma- 
hometan, and  married  a  Turkish  gentleman,  a  Pasha, 
here  in  Cairo.  I  want  to  leave  him  and  return  to 
Christianity.  I  am  an  English  lady,  by  name  Mary 
Smith;  not  what  they  call  me.  I  am  prepared  to 
take  my  oath  that  this  is  true,  and  Mrs.  Cameron 
can  tell  you  —  I  must  get  away !  " 

"  What  is  all  this,  and  who  is  Mrs.  Cameron  ?  In 
what  way  does  your  private  history  concern  me?  I 
beg  you  to  pass  on  to  the  important  statement  which 
you  have  to  make." 

"  I  ask  your  help  to  get  away  from  the  harim." 
302 


VEILED  WOMEN  303 

At  that  the  Englishman  resumed  his  eyeglass  and 
surveyed  her  with  a  slight  gape  of  amazement. 

The  scene  of  conversation  was  a  large  room, 
sparsely  furnished  with  a  desk,  a  table  and  a  few 
plain  chairs.  The  light  from  the  high  window  shone 
on  Barakah  who,  to  prove  that  she  was  really 
English,  had  removed  her  face-veil.  The  critic's 
wondering  stare  first  made  her  conscious  of  the  dis- 
crepancy with  her  request  of  highly  raddled  cheeks 
and  lips,  and  kohled  eyes  —  the  touches  Umm  ed- 
Dahak  had  declared  so  beautiful.  She  was  not  a 
European  any  longer.  Her  very  words  resounded 
Avith  a  foreign  accent.  From  the  moment  of  her  en- 
tering the  presence  of  this  hateful  man,  she  had  been 
persuaded  of  the  folly  of  her  errand,  out  of  heart 
with  it.  Her  speech,  when  uttered,  carried  no  con- 
viction. 

"  Indeed,  indeed,  I  am  an  Englishwoman,"  she 
persisted,  with  a  kind  of  whimper.  "  I  want  to  get 
away  from  here  and  lead  a  Christian  life." 

But  while  she  spoke  the  words  her  hands  were  busy 
readjusting  the  white  muslin  mouth-veil  as  a  step 
towards  going. 

The  great  official  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  Is 
that  all  you  have  to  say  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  —  I  mean,  I  know  that  I  did  wrong  to 
come  here."  She  was  quivering  from  head  to  foot 
with  shame.  The  act  of  sitting  on  a  chair  embar- 
rassed her.  She  was  completely  out  of  touch  with 
English  ways. 


304  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  Well,  I  don't  quite  see  what  I  can  do  for  you," 
said  her  appraiser,  in  a  tone  of  bland  reproach. 
"  You  see  we  are  here  as  guardians  of  the  laws  and 
customs  of  the  country.  We  could  hardly,  therefore, 
interfere  in  a  case  such  as  yours  —  a  harim  quarrel. 
As  for  the  religious  controversy,  I  can  tell  you  we 
avoid  it  like  hot  coals.  Our  one  desire  is  to  uphold 
the  institutions  of  the  country.  Really,  my  dear 
lady,  I  think  the  only  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  go 
straight  home  and  make  the  best  of  it." 

At  that  she  rose.  He  passed  before  her  to  the 
door  and  held  it  open.  She  thought  of  offering  her 
hand,  but  his  grand  bow  forbade  it ;  and  she  went 
out  in  profound  humiliation. 

"  Well,  art  thou  happy  ? "  chuckled  Umm  ed- 
Dahak,  still  believing  that  she  was  the  servant  of  a 
criminal  intrigue.  She  prattled  merrily  till  they  re- 
gained the  carriage  and  were  driving  homeward, 
when  she  noticed  that  her  lady  trembled  and  looked 
sad. 

"  Alas !  "  she  cried.  "  My  dove,  my  poor  one,  is 
it  so?  Woe,  woe  for  womankind!  There  comes  a 
time  to  all  of  us  when  love  escapes." 

But  Barakah  surveyed  a  wider  disillusion. 

Until  just  now  she  had  been  strong  in  the  conceit 
that  she  was  different  from  Eastern  women,  recog- 
nisably  of  higher  race.  From  her  dreams  with  Umm 
ed-Dahak,  built  on  memories  of  Mrs.  Cameron's  en- 
treaties and  the  Consul's  arguments,  she  had  derived 
the  notion  that  she  was  of  value  to  the  English,  who 


VEILED  WOMEN  305 

would  fain  reclaim  her.  Now  that  mirage,  born  of 
the  sleepy  harim  atmosphere,  was  swept  away ;  and 
she  was  nothing.  With  English  people,  she  would 
always  long  for  Orientals ;  with  Orientals,  feel  a 
yearning  for  the  life  of  Europe. 

And  in  religion,  likewise,  she  was  nothing.  A 
Christian  by  conviction  after  years  of  scoffing,  she 
was  doomed  to  play  the  part  of  a  Mahometan,  to 
lose  her  soul.  And  she  was  glad  to  be  returning  to 
the  life  so  lately  dreaded,  the  vision  of  herself  in 
English  eyes  had  so  appalled  her.  Well,  she  was 
nothing,  and  her  soul  of  small  account.  The  harim 
was  her  natural  home;  the  teaching  of  the  wise  and 
kindly  Prophet  her  protection.  She  now  beheld  the 
vanity  of  all  her  struggles,  the  vulgarity  of  much 
concern  about  the  future.  God  was  merciful!  In 
self-annihilation  there  was  peace.  Thus  through 
her  striving  after  Christianity  she  reached  at  last  the 
living  heart  of  El  Islam. 


CHAPTER    XL 

IT  was  strange  how,  with  her  broken  spirit,  she  re- 
gained a  kindly  interest  in  all  around  her.  She  had 
found  the  keynote  of  harim  existence  —  resignation ; 
not  merely  passive,  but  exultant  as  an  act  of  wor- 
ship. The  gross,  full-blooded  speech,  the  something 
cruel  in  these  women,  which  in  the  day  of  sentimental 
pride  had  seemed  intolerable,  was  but  the  natural 
outcome  of  relentless  vision.  In  the  first  fervour  of 
her  self-abasement  she  stood  beside  the  deathbed  of 
Murjanah  Khanum,  watched  her  last  struggle,  and 
endured  the  death-room  orgies  without  flinching. 
Thenceforth  she  took  up  the  old  Muslim  standpoint, 
denouncing  all  the  fallacies  of  Europe.  Having 
won  from  Yusuf  the  confession  that  he  kept  three 
other  women,  she  had  them  brought  to  the  old  Pasha's 
palace,  where  she  lived  thenceforward,  to  rid  his 
dealings  of  the  surreptitiousness  which  smacks  of 
vice.  She  received  them  sometimes  in  her  rooms,  and 
took  benignant  notice  of  their  children,  but  remained 
aloof.  They  called  her  "  the  great  lady,"  and  de- 
ferred to  her. 

When  the  festivals  of  visitation  of  the  dead  came 
round,  she  would  withdraw  into  the  tomb  for  days 
together,  but  showed  no  mournfulness  at  other  sea- 

306 


VEILED  WOMEN  307 

sons.  When  Englishwomen  called  on  her  (as  some- 
times happened,  for  Yusuf  held  a  high  position  in 
the  Government),  she  spoke  in  stilted  French,  and 
never  hinted  that  she  knew  their  language,  or  was 
other  than  the  thing  she  seemed  —  a  Turkish  lady. 
She  felt  assured  that,  had  she  carried  out  her  plan 
and  fled  to  Europe  after  her  son's  death,  she  would 
have  gone  mad  in  that  sentimental  atmosphere  with 
all  her  memories.  More  than  the  English,  she  dis- 
liked some  French  and  German  ladies,  who,  with- 
out renouncing  their  religion  or  their  nationality, 
had  married  Muslims.  These,  in  their  visits,  showed 
a  curiosity,  and  used  a  tone  of  patronage,  which  was 
offensive.  Of  races  less  exclusive  than  the  English, 
they  kept  their  European  friends,  maintained  their 
liberty.  They  had  no  real  conception  of  the  harim 
life.  " 

She  was  angry  with  her  daughter  when  the  latter 
told  her: 

"  At  marriage  I  shall  make  my  husband  promise 
to  have  me  alone  before  I  yield  to  him.  It  is  be- 
come the  fashion  in  the  noblest  houses.  Of  course, 
if  I  should  fail  to  bear  a  son,  I  should  release  him." 

"  Endeavour  to  retain  him  by  thy  charms,"  the 
mother  scolded.  "  O  foolish  one,  to  make  him  prom- 
ise is  to  make  him  sin.  In  following  the  madness  of 
the  Frankish  women,  thou  dost  but  court  deception 
in  the  Frankish  manner.  It  all  comes  of  the  read- 
ing of  French  stories  without  knowledge  or  intelli- 
gence." 


308  VEILED  WOMEN 

It  vexed  her  soul  to  see  young  girls  forsaking  the 
old  stately  way  to  hanker  for  the  trash  of  Europe, 
which  they  misconceived.  Afifah  had  no  notion  of 
that  mutual  love  and  comradeship  which  is  the  sole 
excuse  for  monogamic  marriage ;  she  merely  thought 
it  fine  to  be  an  only  wife.  When  harim  ladies  talked 
of  feminine  emancipation,  they  understood  it  to  in- 
volve licentiousness.  Their  genius  was  at  once  too 
indolent  and  too  direct  ever  to  harbour  European 
vapours. 

But  these  vagaries  were  restricted  to  a  score  of 
wealthy  houses,  and  even  there  the  harim  life  went 
on  the  same.  There  were  the  lattices,  the  veils,  the 
eunuchs,  and  some  few  slaves  in  spite  of  many  edicts ; 
the  ladies  still  had  their  old  interests  and  rules  and 
customs ;  the  same  old  women  hawked  the  news  and 
bawdy  tales  from  house  to  house;  and  superstition 
flourished  more  than  ever.  Young  wives  who  had 
been  bred  up  in  the  Frankish  culture,  and  insisted 
on  the  husband  taking  French  in  private,  consulted 
witches  when  the  baby  ailed,  or  sent  a  portion  of  his 
clothing  to  be  bloodstained  at  a  zar. 

Afifah  married  in  due  course  a  high  official,  and 
Barakah  spent  half  the  year  with  her.  The  mother 
had  her  little  circle  of  old  friends,  and  many  pro- 
teges —  in  particular  the  house  of  Ghandur,  whose 
first-born,  All,  she  regarded  always  as  her  son.  Her 
age  seemed  not  unhappy. 

On  a  summer  evening,  she  was  sitting  on  the  roof 
pf  the  old  Pasha's  palace,  watching  the  sunset  with 


VEILED  WOMEN  309 

Gulbeyzah,  Na'imah,  and  two  of  Yusuf's  sisters  who 
had  come  to  visit  her.  Red  light  as  of  a  conflagra- 
tion shone  around  them.  The  shadow  east  towards 
them  by  the  parapet  was  vastly  elongated  and  as 
black  as  ink.  A  tray  with  fruit  and  sherbet  rested 
on  the  ground,  and  a  slave-girl,  squatting  on  her 
heels  before  them,  awaiting  their  good  pleasure  to 
remove  it,  followed  their  conversation  with  an  eager 
smile. 

The  English  had  been  five-and-twenty  years  in 
Cairo,  and  mighty  changes  had  distressed  the  world 
of  men,  but  the  harim  seemed  changeless  in  its  calm 
seclusion.  Beliefs  as  old  as  Egypt  lingered  there, 
and  new  things  introduced  were  made  to  serve  old 
customs.  Yet  the  ladies  had  been  sighing  at  the 
growth  of  innovations. 

"  Dost  thou  remember,  O  my  sweet  one,  the  little 
window  in  the  servants'  passage  where  I  used  to 
sit  and  dream  as  a  young  maiden  ?  "  sighed  Gulbey- 
zah. "  Is  it  still  there  ?  I  must  go  down  and  see 
it!  And  the  little  lover  on  the  roof  who  waved  his 
arms  so  wildly?  I  wonder  did  he  die  of  me,  the  poor 
young  man !  Thou  didst  blame  me  for  that  small 
amusement;  but,  by  Allah,  girls  in  these  days  are 
less  innocent.  My  granddaughters  read  French 
books  till  their  brains  are  addled.  They  had  bet- 
ter sit  alone  and  dream  as  I  did." 

"  The  best  of  life  is  thinking  with  hands  idle," 
answered  Na'imah.  "  All  women  do  it,  and  so  form 
their  minds.  But  the  girls  to-day  have  no  resources. 


310  VEILED  WOMEN 

They  despise  embroidery.  They  needs  must  be 
amused  by  some  strange  sight,  excited  by  unhealthy 
reading,  or  they  die  of  ennui." 

"  Look,  look !  "  exclaimed  Gulbeyzah  suddenly. 

They  all  stared  in  the  direction  which  her  finger 
pointed. 

The  slave,  who  had  been  waiting  their  good  pleas- 
ure to  remove  the  tray,  had  started  up  and  stood 
against  the  parapet,  looking  out  towards  the  sunset, 
with  her  back  towards  them.  Both  her  arms  were 
raised  as  for  an  incantation.  The  rosy  light  en- 
veloped her  as  with  a  halo.  Her  shadow,  grown 
enormous,  covered  half  the  roof. 

"  I  seek  refuge  in  Allah.  Is  she  worshipping  the 
sun  ?  "  gasped  Na'imah.  "  She  should  be  punished 
for  such  gross  impiety." 

"  She  is  going  to  give  that  crow  his  salutation," 
said  Gulbeyzah. 

The  bird  had  wheeled  away,  but  now  drew  near 
again. 

"If  good  the  news,  O  bird,  alight  and  welcome; 
If  bad,  draw  up  thy  claws  and  hie  away!  " 

The  slave-girl  having  chanted  the  time-honoured 
formula,  turned  to  resume  her  attitude  of  patient 
waiting.  She  grinned  to  find  herself  the  object  of 
all  eyes. 

"  I  shamed  him,"  she  remarked,  with  a  wide  flash 
of  teeth,  as  she  sat  down  once  more. 


VEILED  WOMEN  311 

"  Thou  knowest  the  history  —  not  so,  O  my 
flower?  "  said  Na'imah. 

"  Umm  ed-Dahak  has  related  it  a  thousand  times 
—  the  Lord  have  mercy  on  her!  "  Barakah  made  an- 
swer in  a  tone  of  fond  remembrance. 

"  O  light  of  my  eyes,  surely  every  woman  here  in 
Egypt  knows  it ! "  giggled  Yusuf 's  youngest  sister. 
"  They  say  it  has  been  handed  down  among  us  from 
the  days  of  our  lord  Noah,  when  we  sent  up  the  pe- 
tition." 

"  That  every  girl  might  be  allowed  four  hus- 
bands ?  "  asked  Gulbeyzah. 

"  More !  more !  —  or  so  old  Umm  ed-Dahak  used 
to  tell  me  —  as  many  as  she  could  endure,  my 
sweet !  "  laughed  Barakah. 

"  May  Allah  destroy  the  house  of  that  most 
wicked  crow,  who  has  kept  us  waiting  all  these  thou- 
sands of  long  years  till  now !  "  groaned  Na'imah. 

"  How  long !  How  long,  O  Lord !  "  sighed  out 
Gulbeyzah  in  a  comic  ecstasy. 

"  Never  in  my  time,  that  is  certain,  under  Allah," 
answered  Barakah.  "  But  perhaps  you  young 
ones  .  .  ." 

"  Young  ones !  O  Allah,  listen  to  her !  Ah,  alas 
for  us !  "  cried  Yusuf 's  youngest  sister,  with  a  sob- 
bing laugh.  Whereat  the  ladies  looked  into  each 
other's  faces,  illumined  by  the  greenish  light  which 
follows  sunset.  A  silence  and  a  shudder  fell  upon 
them. 


S12  VEILED  WOMEN 

"  Allah  have  mercy  on  us ! "  Gulbeyzah  broke  the 
stillness  with  a  shrug.  "  Behold  us  finished  for  the 
joys  of  this  low  world." 

"  The  praise  to  Allah ! "  answered  Na'imah  de- 
voutly. 

They  were  all  old  withered  bodies,  for  the  grave. 


THE    END 


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